Wake Up, Little Monster
by i'll kill you
Summary: Aizen's experiment turns Hitsugaya's life around. Changed rating due to some coarse language in succeeding chapters.
1. Prologue

Wake Up, Little Monster

By i'll kill you

I. Prologue

"I heard ya were quite int'rested in the boy, Aizen-sama…"

From the shadows of the throne in the dark hall shone the cold eyes of the former captain, his eyes removing their gaze on the Hougyoku in his hand and onto his fox-faced ally. From a face contorted in deep thought, he smiled lightly at the silver-haired enigma, who never changed his grin. Once more he looked at the small object at his palm, and paused for a short while to collect his thoughts together.

"You know, things have become a lot more interesting, Gin. I have plans regarding the boy now, since he has showed much promise in the last few years. He's grown up a bit, and his physiology has puzzled me much as to make him my next experiment."

"I see. I thought ya considered 'em as trash, Aizen-sama, and playing with the Hougyoku too much could be bad for ya."

"He's changed, Gin. I tell you, he's changed. I'm much more interested in him now than the arrancar or anything else for that matter. It would pay to conduct research with his potential to become great."

"So ya need someone to fetch 'em for ya?"

"I'll need to confirm what has been shown in my studies, Gin."

Gin's smile widened even more. "I see. Well, ya'll have to find 'em out fer yerself, uh?"

* * *

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	2. The Strange Newcomer

II. The Strange Newcomer

"Taichou, this seems to be the place where the reiatsu spike has been detected."

The ever so-silent captain gave only a curt nod as a sign of acknowledgement. They slowly moved across the vast grassland with a small beeping device at the vice-captain's hand. After another moment or so, the beeping from the small hand-held device grew louder and faster. His expression darkened. His hand immediately readied itself to draw his zanpakuto.

"On your guard, Abarai. It may be hiding somewhere here."

A black hole ripped the scene before the two, and out of it first came a gloved hand waving frantically, and then a foot seemingly clothed in a kind of colorful outfit, and finally the rest of the body came out.

"Oww oww oww…" a high-pitched male voice called out. The two placed their hands on their zanpakuto. They set their gaze on what came out of the portal that opened before them. It looked like a clown dressed in a deep blue bodyfit outfit, with a few splotches of red and yellow at some places. It…or he, wore a jester's hat that atop each of the extensions hung a small bell. His face was white, with two small teardrop-like red decorative paintings on each eye, and a violet tracing was painted on his lips. His eyes were much like a hollow's, a yellow pupil surrounded by a deep black, except that the middle of his yellow pupils was a small red spot. He held a small baton in one hand, the small stick decorated with small curved floral engravings. After fixing himself, he looked at the two shinigami standing before him with a wide grin, and twirled his baton in one hand before speaking.

"Hello there, shinigami. My name is Juego the Jester, and I know a thing or two about this place..."

Renji drew his zanpakuto from its confines. "What are you? Are you a hollow?"

He answered playfully. "Hollow? Now that's quite a bit confining, ain't it? Now let's see… hmmm… truth is, I don't know either." He then laughed insanely at the shinigami. A ball of red energy flew straight at him, and a large explosion hid him in a cloud of dirt and smoke. The two looked closely at the clearing, and saw nothing more but falling confetti from where the ball 'hit' the clown. The same high-pitched voice spoke from above them. They looked up to see the clown looking at them in a surly position, except that he was floating in air upside down.

"Now, now, there's no need to use violence, shinigami. I'm just a harmless clown looking for some fun here." he said before laughing once more. He stopped when he realized that the royal-blooded captain was missing. He heard a voice speak to him from his back.

"Disappear from my sight, lunatic peon. The likes of you who disturb Soul Society will be cut down."

The captain's sword pierced the inverted enemy through the chest. The stab caused not blood to come out, but rather colored paper to burst from the wound, and after a few moments the body crumbled into a large rain of confetti. He as well as his vice-captain was dumbfounded at what happened. They heard a laugh from behind the red-haired shinigami that seemed to mock them more and more.

"A little feisty, aren't we, shinigami captain?" he managed to say before laughing once more.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

He smiled as Renji rushed at him with his released zanpakuto. He blocked the incoming attack with his baton, and managed to push his opponent away a good few meters from him. He laughed once more as he raised his baton in the air. Renji was startled.

"Impossible… he blocked Zabimaru's attack with nothing more but a stick?"

"Stick? What did you think this was?" He showed them the baton. Energy radiated from the small object, and soon after the stick shrunk in size, and a red blade came out of one end.

"He has a zanpakuto?" Renji spat out. "So you are an arrancar, after all."

"Arrancar? That's quite limiting, shinigami. But well, I love guessing games after all. If you can guess what I really am, then I'll give you a prize."

Renji scoffed. "Who cares what you are, you dumbass? I'm gonna kill you anyway, so there's no need to know."

"Sure you're not interested? Well, maybe this'll make you find me quite intriguing…" He pointed the red blade at him. "Howl, Zabimaru…"


	3. The Test

III. The Test

Renji's eyes widened in shock as he watched the red sword morph into a red segmented blade with pick-like protrusions per segment. "Now, I guess you're interested after all."

He scoffed once more. "Copying my zanpakuto doesn't make you any better with it. The original's always better than the copycat." He waved his zanpakuto towards the opponent, the blade extending into a whip-like weapon. The clown avoided the attack by jumping, and while in mid-air, he waved his own red version of Zabimaru at Renji, extending into a whip just like the original did. The blade ripped the target's right shoulder like a chainsaw before returning to its compressed form. The impact caused the tattooed shinigami to be thrown away before landing on his back. He looked at the gaping wound bleeding profusely. He winced lightly before trying to stand with the help of his trusted zanpakuto. His enemy floated slowly before landing on the ground. He let his zanpakuto rest on his shoulder, and his other hand rubbed his chin, as if he was musing about something.

"I guess it's time to end this little game of ours, shinigami…"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

He looked up and saw a large wave of cherry blossoms rushing at him. He did a cartwheel to move away as the wave still followed him. After a short while of dodging, the attack stopped. He looked curtly at Byakuya, who was now surrounded in a large twirl of marauding petals.

"Awww…that's cute, feisty shinigami captain-san… though quite gay, but still cute."

He held his red zanpakuto in an inverted fashion, the blade pointing at the ground. He tilted his head slightly sideward, and released the blade from his grip. Byakuya looked at his enemy closely. The red blade seemed to disintegrate into pieces as it came in contact with the ground.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

A wave of red petals rushed at Byakuya, who stood still where he stood. He raised his hand forward, and his own wave of petals blocked the incoming wave of his enemy. His wave pushed forward, trying to make its way toward the opponent. After moments of fighting as such, the waves died down. The clown laughed.

"I guess I'll have to take things a little more serious this time…"

The red petals surrounded the warriors in a large dome. Byakuya stood on his guard.

"Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The red petals condensed into swords around them in a large dome. He summoned one of the blades to come to him as his weapon. He started walking slowly towards Byakuya. The petals once more swirled around the captain.

"Copying another's technique is such a lowly kind of attack, peon."

"Copying? I'm not really copying that much, well, maybe I just threw in a little of my total skill, so it looks like copying, but hey, how about I show you a little bit of creativity?"

Byakuya was taken aback by a large amount of reiatsu that was quite near to bringing him to his knees. The clown laughed as the reiatsu grew to an even more frightening level. Renji fell down on his knees as he could no longer take the amount of reiatsu being released.

"Now, for a bit of creativity… Howl, Zabimaru."

The blades floating around them pointed to Byakuya, and changed their forms into floating red versions of Zabimaru. After morphing, all of them extended and rushed towards him. Senbonzakura's petals swirled around him, preventing the blades from coming to him any further. He pushed the blades back, returning them to their compressed forms. He heard the clown clapping his hands, and stared at him.

"Bravo! Bravo!" He said while clapping frantically, and afterwards he clutched his sides while he laughed. Once more the petals rushed at him, this time ripping him to shreds. However, after doing so his body turned into a large bunch of confetti. Byakuya looked around trying to find where his opponent was. He turned around and found the clown looking straight at him in the eyes with his own red-yellow orbs, his whole body floating inverted.

"Tsk tsk… feisty as ever, shinigami captain-san…"

He disappeared from sight. Before Byakuya knew, the floating blades extended once more and came rushing at him. He was able to fend off most of the incoming blades but a few were able to break through and wound him. He fell on one knee after being cut up good on his right shoulder and left leg.

"So, the feisty captain ain't that good after all, eh?"

He looked up to a smiling Juego looking at him, juggling a released red Zabimaru in his hands.

"Time to end this…"

"Ban kai... Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

He looked up to see a certain white-haired captain draped in wings of ice, rushing at him with a sword in hand. He raised his zanpakuto to block the opponent's attack. After blocking the attack, Hitsugaya moved away from the enemy to prepare for his next move. Juego looked at his arm that held his zanpakuto and found it covered in ice. He clenched his fist and broke off the ice that covered it.

"Now there's another player in the game. Don't worry, I don't mind, in fact, the more, the merrier. Mind telling me your name, shinigami kid?"

Hitsugaya's brows furrowed. "I'm not a kid. Tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushiro."

He turned his gaze at the two behind him. "Looks like you were beaten up pretty bad, Abarai, Kuchiki-taichou."

The jester clapped his hands twice, as if calling on to start something. "Now, now, I'm sorry, but even though you just joined in, I'll have to end this little playtime of ours now…" He pointed his zanpakuto at Hitsugaya and started brimming with energy. His reiatsu spiked at insane levels that Hitsugaya found quite disturbing. He noted the nature of the reiatsu to be fouler than that of any other hollow or arrancar they have faced before, and at such a level beyond their imagination. He assumed his stance and started releasing his reiatsu to try and match his opponent.

"Bankai… Hihio Zabimaru…"

Hitsugaya sighed. "Even though your reiatsu is very high, copying Abarai's skills will do you no good."

"Copying? Who said I was just copying?" Juego smiled even wider. "Ban kai… Daiguren Hyourinmaru."

Ice formed on his back and arms as wings and claws. The large form of Zabimaru's ban kai transformed into a large snake tail made of ice, as if it was a large ice sculpture of the original. He started the ice ban kai moving, going after Hitsugaya with its large snake head. Hitsugaya dodged using shunpo, moving a safer location. It didn't stop from chasing him, for it charged at him wherever he went. At the final moment of this small cycle, the charging snake finally reached Hitsugaya, who in turn blocked it using his blade. He was literally being carried by the large weapon in its mouth, and the only thing that prevented it from tearing him apart is his zanpakuto. He shunpoed quickly, reappearing before the enemy. With a quick move, he pushed against the ground and stabbed his enemy cleanly through the chest, and ice encased the victim quickly after coming in contact with the blade. He pulled the blade back, leaving an ice sculpture of an enemy behind. He was startled when the ice broke along not with the body but confetti, and all of a sudden lunatic laughter resonated through the air. He looked behind him to see a laughing jester clutching his sides from laughing so hard.

"Well, I gotta go now. It ain't fun staying with you any longer." He waved his hand frantically at them. "Byebye, shinigami!" He was reduced to bits of confetti, and traces of his reiatsu were gone, not even a speck left.

* * *

"What could you say about him, Juego?"

"He is really interesting, Aizen. Just like what you said about him, he is strong, and he still has a lot more room to grow… don't worry about any trouble, since he's worth every little bit of it." He looked up to the man seated at the throne in the middle of the hall.

A very light noise made him look sideways to an indifferent Ulquiorra Schiffer walking out of the shadows of the spacious hall.

"Once again, you forget your place, Juego. You are no different from us Espada, and we must all show our respect to Aizen-sama."

"Respect?" the aforementioned laughed mockingly. His violet lips were still traced into a smile. "Very well then, I'm sorry for that one, **Aizen-sama**…" he placed an emphasis on the last word, saying it mockingly, before laughing once more.

"You really have no manners, Juego…" he reached for his zanpakuto and was just about to draw it when he felt a very large reiatsu, which was not Aizen's, that made him drop to his knees.

"Now you should cool down there a bit, Ulquiorra…" Juego said in a mocking tone. "I wouldn't want to kill Aizen's precious Espada, you know..."

Aizen cut in. "I'm sure he didn't mean that, Juego." The large reiatsu died down after Aizen's statement. "Now that I know he met your standards, I'm sure you would support me in my upcoming plans with him."

Juego scoffed and started walking away. "I don't care watcha wanna do wid'em, Aizen. Do what'cha wanna do. Beats me." With that last statement, he disappeared into the darkness.

Ulquiorra has just stood up. "Excuse me, Aizen-sama, but was that – "

"Yes, that was his reiatsu that brought you down. Quite frightening, isn't it?"

He nodded in agreement. "Forgive me if I offend you with this, but why do you still keep him? He's too dangerous to keep around."

"I know, but to tell you the truth, none of us here can ever kill him, Ulquiorra. Besides, he's my finest experiment."

"But such a breeding of hollow and shinigami fusion, as well as pieces of Hell's gate has brought about this much danger. Fusing his reiatsu with those of Seiretei's shinigami made him too powerful to handle."

"We'll just have to deal with him, Ulquiorra." Aizen stood from his throne, bringing his zanpakuto with him. "Time for the next phase of the plan."


	4. Quality Time

IV. Quality Time

The creaking door of the tenth division's office opened to let its captain come in. The dirty and crumpled haori of the white-haired genius glided its way slowly through the stacks of books and paperwork placed neatly on the polished floor. Aside from that, the orderly atmosphere was disturbed by a few crumpled papers here and there as well as a few empty sake bottles lying around. The smell of alcohol still lingered, though it was not as evident in times that people are there drinking there. He walked slowly towards his desk, and found a small note taped at it.

**Taichou, I just went outside to get a drink. Be right back – Matsumoto : ) **

_Get a drink, huh? At least I still have half a day more before she comes back…_Hitsugaya thought. _Better take the time off. _

With nothing much of a word, he heaved a deep sigh and made his way to the couch. He took off his haori and gently placed it over the table near where he stood. He loosened his shihakusho just enough for him to be able to remove the upper part of it, revealing his whole upper body. With that, he slumped at the couch, resting his aching muscles against the soft cushion of the furniture. He slowly closed his eyes in an attempt to drift away to dreamland. While he rested, his thoughts wandered as to what had happened before he got there. Images of the disturbing encounter with the unidentified clown-creature flashed through his mind.

"_Copying? Who said I was just copying?" Juego smiled even wider. "Ban kai… Daiguren Hyourinmaru." _

_Ice formed on his back and arms as wings and claws. The large form of Zabimaru's ban kai transformed into a large snake tail made of ice, as if it was a large ice sculpture of the original. He started the ice ban kai moving, going after Hitsugaya with its large snake head. Hitsugaya dodged using shunpo, moving a safer location. It didn't stop from chasing him, for it charged at him wherever he went. At the final moment of this small cycle, the charging snake finally reached Hitsugaya, who in turn blocked it using his blade. He was literally being carried by the large weapon in its mouth, and the only thing that prevented it from tearing him apart is his zanpakuto. He shunpoed quickly, reappearing before the enemy. With a quick move, he pushed against the ground and stabbed his enemy cleanly through the chest, and ice encased the victim quickly after coming in contact with the blade. He pulled the blade back, leaving an ice sculpture of an enemy behind. He was startled when the ice broke along not with the body but confetti, and all of a sudden lunatic laughter resonated through the air. He looked behind him to see a laughing jester clutching his sides from laughing so hard. _

"_Well, I gotta go now. It ain't fun staying with you any longer." He waved his hand frantically at them. "Byebye, shinigami!" He was reduced to bits of confetti, and traces of his reiatsu were gone, not even a speck left. _

_What the hell is he anyway? _He pondered in deep scrutiny. _His reiatsu felt like that of a hollow and an arrancar and something else at the same time. And that capability of using other's technique…_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden slam of the door, revealing a brown-haired shinigami that was taking short breaths, obviously from a sort of physical activity. She suddenly turned her head towards the half-naked captain's direction and blurted out a few words.

"Hitsugaya-kun! I heard that you encountered the strange hollow and – " she cut her sentence short when she saw Hitsugaya's bare chest, and she felt a little blood rush to her head. Hitsugaya was puzzled at first when it hit him, and slowly turned his head down to the rest of his body, remembering the present state that he was in. She immediately covered her eyes with her right hand, and the red taint still covered her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Hitsugaya-kun! I didn't mean to – "

"Taaaichoooou!!!! I'm back!" the busty vice-captain entered in a sing-sang voice. She gave a long "ohhhh" sound after she saw what was happening and gave her own interpretation of it. She mustered a wide meaningful grin with the current situation.

"It seems my taichou has really grown up, eh? But don't you think you're a bit too young to do **it?**" she put an emphasis on the last word before bursting into a fit of giggles. Hitsugaya felt blood rush to his face every moment that passed. He quickly fixed his shihakusho and wore his haori. He cut Matsumoto off by clearing his throat. She quickly grew silent, though she retained a meaningful smile quirked on her lips.

"By the way, what are you doing here, Hinamori?"

"Ummm… I was just worried, because I heard that Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-taichou were injured in the encounter with the strange hollow, so I thought of dropping by to check on you…"

He heaved a deep sigh before continuing. "I'm fine, Hinamori. I didn't even get a scratch. That thing, whatever it was, just took off."

"Oh." That was all that she managed to answer. "It's good to hear that. Ummm… by the way, I needed something else from you…"

"Hmmm?"

"Uh, uh, I, uh, I mean, could you go with me to the twentieth district tomorrow? There are some things that have to be arranged there, and I was planning on paying a visit to our old home afterwards," she became fidgety with every word. "It's alright if you can't come, I mean you're busy and all, and – "

"I'm going."

Her eyes burned brightly with joy and enthusiasm. "Really?! Arigatou, Shiro-chan!" with that final statement she locked Hitsguyaya up in a tight hug.

"Oi! Stop doing that! And stop calling me Shiro-chan, baka bed-wetter Momo!"

She moved away with a smile on her face. "Well, gotta go now. Bye, Shiro-chan!" With that, she went out of the office quickly. Matsumoto gave Hitsugaya a smug look.

"Looks like taichou's going on a date…"

Hitsugaya's cheeks burned a bright red. "It's not a date!"

Matsumoto seemed to have ignored him and proceeded teary-eyed with joy. "My taichou's really grown up…"

Hitsugaya just bowed his head in defeat.

* * *

"How's it going, Aizen-sama?" 

The cold arrancar leader faced the enigmatic smile of his subordinate with his own mild smile. "Everything is going according to plan, Gin. Just a little more waiting, and we shall have him."


	5. Twisting One's Fate

V. Twisting One's Fate

Hitsugaya looked at himself before the mirror. A snug fit, he thought. He looked just perfect in his best uniform. His well-pressed haori showed off against his shihakusho. His captain's cloak hasn't been used much, which is why its color has not faded. After running his hand on his hair, he picked up his zanpakuto and slung it on his back as always. He was ready to go.

Using shunpo, he quickly made his way to the brown-haired lieutenant's doorstep. He carefully knocked at the door a few times before a jolly voice answered.

"Coming!"

The door opened, revealing a differently-arranged Hinamori before him; her hair was not confined in its usual bun but rather in some sort of a clip that bunched her hair into a kind of ponytail which was slung over her shoulder. She wore her shihakusho slightly a little loose than usual, revealing part of her shoulders to some extent. Her lips were a little glossed, making them glitter lightly. Hitsugaya was dumbfounded, not being able to utter a word, and his gaze was fixed wholly on her. Hinamori was quite confused as to what was happening with her friend, and looked at him with scrutiny. She waved her hand at Hitsugaya's face, trying to see if he still was there. He blinked, and was brought back to the real world from dreamland. Hinamori drew in a serious and concerned look.

"Are you alright, Shiro-chan?"

It took Hitsugaya a little while before he was able to answer. "Yeah, I'm fine, and it's Hitsugaya-taichou to you, baka bed-wetter Momo."

She pouted. "Mou, that's mean, Shiro-chan…"She smiled brightly once more. "Well, let's get going."

She locked herself onto Hitsugaya's arm and both started walking towards the gate of Seiretei. Neither of them knew of the other presence that was watching them from a safe distance on the rooftops. The busty vice-captain from hell looked at the two with her special reiatsu-tracking binoculars she 'borrowed' from the 12th division. With another quick look through the small spying device, she mustered a wide grin.

"Looks like taichou's gonna have a special time…" was all she managed to say before breaking into a fit of sinister laughter, her shadow made into some sort of a demon-like shape. She immediately hid herself and covered her mouth when Hitsugaya looked into her direction.

"Hitsugaya-kun, what's wrong?" his companion asked him when he looked somewhere towards the rooftops.

"Nothing. I just thought I heard something."

"Whew… that was a close one…" Matsumoto whispered to herself while wiping the sweat that formed on her forehead from the close encounter with the frightening gaze of her captain.

* * *

The two walked over a vast plain field. Very few trees were left standing in the grassland, and no animals were in sight, except a few birds flying over them. The wind blew a very light gust, blowing away and making Hinamori's hair dance to its tune.

"The view here's nice, neh, Shiro-chan?" she said in a sweet jolly voice. Hitsugaya remained indifferent with the situation.

"Yeah."

She pouted. "Mou, you don't sound too happy. Aren't you enjoying yourself?" Her eyes glittered in a different light.

He shuddered lightly and became all fidgety. "No, no, in fact, I'm having a good time, Hinamori. The view here is really beautiful."

She smiled at his remark, and then looked over to a collection of trees at some point away from them. "Let's go there, Shiro-chan! Maybe there are some beautiful flowers there, and I'd like to see some for myself."

"Sure."

Rangiku continued to watch from behind a tall grass patch, making a small space for her binoculars to pass through. She still wore a wide menacing grin over her face. "Oh, now it's over to the woods, uh? I wonder what move taichou's gonna do…" and thoughts of a certain Hitsugaya pinning Hinamori against a tree entered her mind, the two getting a little too close to each other. With that she grinned even wider. She suddenly grew serious when she saw a little light blinking at the side of her binoculars, as if pointing to something.

"Wait… this reiatsu's not supposed to be here… it doesn't belong to either of them…" She quickly placed a hand on her trusted Haineko, her brows furrowed, as if sensing some impending danger at hand. She immediately made a move to follow but stopped dead in her tracks when someone blocked her way to the two.

"Hiya there, Rangiku. It's been a long time now, ain't it?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Gin! What are you doing here?"

The mysterious smile of the former captain drew into her, and slowly drew his zanpakuto out of its sheath. "Now, now, that's not what ya tell yer ol' friend when ya meet, isn't it?"

She pulled out her own as well. "What are you planning to do? Are you going to ambush taichou and Hinamori?"

Gin's smile widened even more. "Ambush? Ain't that a little too bad fer us? Yeah, we're supposed to be the bad guys, but that's a bit overboard, eh? Don't worry, the prodigy taichou's in good hands. **We** certainly wouldn't harm 'em in any way."

She rushed towards the silver-haired enemy, and swung her zanpakuto at him with brute might. With the wakizashi-like blade Gin blocked her strike with one hand holding the blade. After several striking-blocking series, she moved back and started raising her reiatsu.

……

Hitsugaya stopped in his tracks. He recognized the familiar reiatsu that was nearby.

_Matsumoto? What on earth is going on?_

"Oi, Hinamori… didn't you just feel that reiatsu? There may be something going on – " he stopped when he looked back at his companion, who was now disintegrating into specks of dust. Still puzzled, his face was contorted into a sort of serious expression. Before he knew it, he felt a strong force hit him in his right shoulder, pushing him back, and when he looked down at it, crimson liquid was rushing out of a large gaping wound gashed from the right shoulder extending to his chest. His vision suddenly turned dark and the whole world seemed to swirl. And there was nothing more but darkness. A hand took him by the sleeve of his uniform and started pulling him with it.

* * *

Matsumoto was panting. She was already bruised in some parts and her shihakusho was torn too. Even with the release of her zanpakuto, she stood no match against the wielder of Shinso. Gin just stood there with nothing, not even a scratch on him. He held his zanpakuto effortlessly, as if what was happening was nothing more but a game.

"My, my, look at yourself, Rangiku. Ya should just take a beak, ya know. I told ya we didn't mean any harm in comin' here."

He turned his head when a rustle of leaves disturbed them. Out of the deep woods appeared the slim figure of Ulquiorra dragging behind him a white-haired person by the sleeve, leaving behind them a trail of crimson as they walked. Drops of water suddenly congregated into one spot, revealing the image of the former captain and now arrancar leader, Aizen. Matsumoto's eyes widened at the sight of her captain. Gin turned to her again.

"Well, seems that our job here's done…" he sheathed his zanpakuto and waved at the woman. "Byebye, Rangiku."

A Garganta opened behind them and they drew themselves in it. Matsumoto quickly stood up in an attempt to stop them but fell on her knees as Aizen released a gigantic amount of reiatsu. Aizen entered, leaving Gin the only one who has not entered.

"Now, don't push yerself, Rangiku. It's bad fer ya, ya know. Well, see ya." With that he entered the opening as well, and after a few moments it closed behind him. She found herself trying to recover from the frightening blast of reiatsu she just took, leaning on Haineko for support.

_Taichou…we'll get you back… _


	6. Evil Unfolds

VI. Evil Unfolds

_There was nothing but ice and cold, blasting winds roaring from a great distance away from Hitsugaya. With his sword in check, he dared to proceed towards the direction where the angry howl came from. _

_After a few moments of walking, traversing the ice-laden ground, he came upon where his companion rested. There it lay, the great ice dragon Hyourinmaru. From the creature radiated the powerful blasts of cold wind enough to stop a heart from beating. He looked up to the raging eyes of the beast. _

"_What is going on, Hyourinmaru? Why am I here?"_

"_You have been a great companion that every zanpakuto wishes, Toushiro." The dragon answered, with each word the inner world rumbled. "Your power is undeniable, and you are great above many a shinigami. But I'm afraid this is as far as I could go with you." _

_Hitsugaya's eyes widened in confusion. "What exactly do you mean by that? Does that mean that you're going away?"_

"_I must say goodbye, Toushiro. But I shall be watching over you, though not in this form," was all the great dragon managed to say before it turned into solid ice and started to crumble. Hitsugaya moved back to avoid being taken in by the avalanche. After that, he looked towards the spot where the dragon formerly stood, and noticed a silhouette standing at the exact same spot, though he couldn't tell what shape it was exactly due to the smoke that blurred his vision. After a short while, he could already make out of the shape that was still there. It was human, yes. The shape was that of a man, or rather, an adolescent. As the smoke cleared, he was able to tell that the person had white hair, and wore garments very similar to his, except that the haori of this person is colored black and the shihakusho that lay underneath it was colored white. Funny thing though, is that the skin seemed to be in a grayscale as well. The person stood there with a zanpakuto slung on his back much like him, but held another zanpakuto shaped just like the other one mentioned. The head was bowed, so he couldn't really tell how he looked like. _

"_You there!" he called out. "Who are you?"_

_The former's head was still bowed. "Me?" it answered in a voice very similar to Hitsugaya's own, except that it sounded like it was being said behind a face protector. It mustered a slight snicker. "You know me better than anyone else, Toushiro."_

"_I'm not playing games with you. I asked who you are."_

"_You really wanna know?" it slowly raised its face, and Hitsugaya was held in disbelief. It was him! It was like he looked through a mirror, but the skin of the boy was white, and its eyes are colored in black and yellow, like that of a hollow. "You know who I am, partner."_

"_What the hell are you?" he asked, ready to draw his zanpakuto anytime. He smelled trouble brewing. _

"_Come on, partner. We know each other better than anyone else in the world."_

"_What did you do to Hyourinmaru?!" he drew forth his zanpakuto. The mirror image scoffed, and held on securely to his own zanpakuto. _

"_Hyourinmaru? You mean that old dragon? He's gone for the time being. Why don't we enjoy ourselves while he's away?" He blocked off Hitsugaya's shunpo-slash combination with his zanpakuto. _

"_You bastard… tell me where he is!"_

"_You know what? The truth is… I'm Hyourinmaru!" he pushed Hitsugaya away with a quick application of force on the blade he held. The former jumped away, raising his zanpakuto and his reiatsu as well._

"_Sit upon the frozen skies, Hyourinmaru!" he called out, the blade growing a crescent extension and a large blue dragon spewing out as well. He commanded the dragon to chase after the enemy. The target, in turn, laughed at the attempt and twirled his zanpakuto like a baton, blocking the attack completely. He scoffed. _

"_Hah! That's it? No wonder you got beaten up by that Aizen bastard! Imagine that you have such a badass zanpakuto and a ginormous amount of reiatsu to match, and you get beaten? You're pathetic!" he assumed his own stance and raised his reiatsu as well, but at a menacing level compared to Hitsugaya. "Sit upon the frozen skies, Hyourinmaru!"_

_A large white dragon came out of a transfigured blade just like Hitsugaya's own. He thrust his blade to the ground, and the ground cracked when several dragons came out similar to the one formerly released. They chased after Hitsugaya who was still commanding his own blue dragon._

"_This is how you use your power, Toushiro! Your just a pathetic weakling not to realize this much power within you!" He laughed while Hitsugaya fled from the marauding jaws of the creatures coming after him. _

"_Destructive Art #33: Blue Fire, Crash Down!" _

_Blue energy erupted from Hitsugaya's palm, distracting the ones that were chasing after him. He shifted his blade's orientation, commanding his dragon to come crashing towards his copy. The white Hitsugaya smiled. He pulled the other zanpakuto from its sheath, revealing a red unreleased Hyourinmaru. _

"_Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin."_

_His version of Hyourinmaru reverted to its unreleased form, though the blade turned blue and cold blue energy began swirling about it. The other zanpakuto he held in his other hand, Gogyou Enjin, blasted fire from the tip of the blade, and soon swirls of fire and ice encircled him. He brought down Gogyou Enjin, releasing a large wave of fire that was shaped like a dragon, and consumed Hitsugaya's blue dragon. It continued to ravage towards the captain, and though he was able to dodge, the fierce heat still burned him even without direct contact with the fiery monster. He winced in pain as he removed bits of burnt cloth from his arm. _

"_That was sweet now, wasn't it, Hitsugaya? You already have a new zanpakuto under your command, and I assume now that with this much power you wouldn't lose to that bastard, or anyone else. But well, I've got a feeling that you would still do. You're a pathetic loser, anyway." He suddenly disappeared from sight and reappeared before Hitsugaya, and did a quick twin slash, making a large wound on Hitsugaya's chest shaped as an X. He tumbled backwards, blood oozed from the large gaps on his body. He tried to stand but failed to do so as his chest bled profusely. The mirror image approached him slowly with a wide menacing grin on his face. Upon reaching his prey, he thrust Hyourinmaru through his victim's stomach, making Hitsugaya cough blood and bleed even more. His body was encased in ice with Hyourinmaru's stab through him, save for his head. He felt his eyes grow heavy and his body grown numb with cold. He felt life fleeting away with each passing moment and each drop of blood going out of him. _

"_Hmmm… looks like they're calling out to you there, Toushiro. I'll let you out for now, but remember…I'm going to take over the next time I have the chance!" with that his copy laughed, and he finally closed his eyes. _

* * *

"It looks like a success, Gin…"

"Hmmm… does look like it, Aizen-sama."

The two were staring down on an ice-cold Hitsugaya, lying unconscious on an operating bed, his upper clothes removed. Aizen removed the Hougyoku from a certain gun-like device pointed at Hitsugaya. They surveyed the gash made by Aizen on his shoulder. It was covered in a sort of white ceramic material, stopping the wound from bleeding any further. Aside from that, nothing has changed with his outside appearance. The two left the room, Aizen holding the Hougyoku in his right hand.

"Ya sure it really worked?"

"We'll find that out when he's awake…"


	7. The Destiny of the Mask

I'd just like to say thanks to those that reviewed the previous chapters. I really appreciate them. By the way, this little note is directed to TwitchyKid and Umbreon-Rawks. First I'd like to answer TwitchyKid's question. Technically speaking, it's a copy of what happened to Ichigo, though in this case the appearance of the hollow did not appear while Hyourinmaru was still there. Ichigo's hollow appeared at a time that Zangetsu was still present. And the indication of a hollow's domination in a shinigami is the disappearance of the embodiment of one's zanpakuto, since the hollow dominates the zanpakuto as the primary form of power. I took that quite playful attitude of the inner hollow from a generalization that inner hollows are playful (from what I've seen with Ichigo's hollow).

To Umbreon-Rawks: I wouldn't mind your posting your story. In fact, I'm not really surprised that we had the same idea. Just imagine how many bleach fans are there. Just thinking of the numbers, it's practically normal to find someone with the same idea as yours. (and if you know the principle of permutation, you'd totally understand this one a lot easier.) It's nice to find someone else with the same idea as yours once in a while.

* * *

VII. The Destiny of the Mask 

Everything was blurry. The whole world seemed to swirl through Hitsugaya's eyes. He could tell that he was lying on a bed somewhere, though he couldn't really tell where in the world he was. The swirls were still blurred in a chromatic aberration of colored and black; and his head felt like it was being bludgeoned. He felt something clamped on his neck, and his chest felt heavier than usual, so he tried to stand up to try and find a mirror in the room. He swayed while he treaded his way slowly through the mass of equipment placed at tables in the room. Even though his vision was quite blurred, he could tell a few details of his surroundings, and soon enough he found a small mirror right across from where he previously lay. He grabbed the mirror, clutched his head and rubbed his eyes before looking. Somehow those helped him see a bit clearer. He looked closely to at least see as much details as he could. He positioned it just enough so that he could see not only his face but just up about his shoulders. His brows furrowed with what he saw.

There was some kind of black taint emanating from the side of his left eye, replacing some of the white that was supposed to be there. He also touched his neck, and saw some kind of a black belt locked on to it. He looked down and noticed the white ceramic material sticking out from the gash that he received, and it seems to be the reason why the wound stopped bleeding. Then thoughts of what happened flash in his mind, the memories of what happened before he became unconscious. He immediately searched for his zanpakuto all over the room, and found blades that looked like it, but seemed to be different. He inspected the twin blades, and found them both looking like Hyourinmaru, save that one was colored red. Then it hit him.

_The white Hitsugaya smiled. He pulled the other zanpakuto from its sheath, revealing a red unreleased Hyourinmaru. _

"_Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin."_

_His version of Hyourinmaru reverted to its unreleased form, though the blade turned blue and cold blue energy began swirling about it. The other zanpakuto he held in his other hand, Gogyou Enjin, blasted fire from the tip of the blade, and soon swirls of fire and ice encircled him. He brought down Gogyou Enjin, releasing a large wave of fire that was shaped like a dragon, and consumed Hitsugaya's blue dragon. It continued to ravage towards the captain, and though he was able to dodge, the fierce heat still burned him even without direct contact with the fiery monster. He winced in pain as he removed bits of burnt cloth from his arm. _

"_That was sweet now, wasn't it, Hitsugaya? You already have a new zanpakuto under your command, and I assume now that with this much power you wouldn't lose to that bastard, or anyone else. But well, I've got a feeling that you would still do. You're a pathetic loser, anyway."_

Once more he looked down at the red zanpakuto. He felt something different from it, felt a deep mysterious energy radiating from it, as if it was calling out to him. He could tell that the nature of its reiatsu was harmful and demeaning to others, yet when he held it, he felt as if the hilt had hands that were grasping on to him, like it never want him to let go. He returned the blade back to its sheath when he suddenly felt the presence of two incoming reiatsu towards his location. He set the red zanpakuto aside and secured himself with Hyourinmaru. The door opened, revealing two of the traitors of Soul Society. He placed one hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to draw anytime. Aizen smiled upon the sight.

"My, my, it seems that you're awake, Hitsugaya-taichou," he said coolly. He pulled out a small push button from the sleeve of his hakama, while Gin looked around and surveyed for anything new to the surroundings. Hitsugaya pulled the blade out of its sheath and pointed it at the cold ex-captain.

"Aizen, you bastard… why did you bring me here?"

"There's no need to use violence, Hitsugaya-taichou. I would've told you for the asking." He took out the Hougyoku from his other sleeve. "You see, you've shown much progress in the last few years, and I've discovered something new about the Hougyoku. I was interested in your physiology after I discovered something special about your konpaku, which is really similar to the nature of Juego's konpaku. You are the only two beings I know that possess this special characteristic, so I took the task of taking you back here myself to conduct further research."

He looked down at the other zanpakuto behind Hitsugaya. "You may have noticed that other zanpakuto as well. I'm not really sure if this is the case, but my theory about it is that you have been able to generate it as another form of your power when I melded your reiatsu with traces of captain commander Yamamoto's reiatsu. You were very unique, since you were able to bring it into another form after you've taken it into you, unlike Juego who could only assimilate another's reiatsu but does not adapt its form into his own. If you could remember, he was able to copy the capability of other's zanpakuto, but the truth is that he doesn't have his own zanpakuto. His power is purely a large meld of reiatsu I took from the most potent shinigami there are, though he uses his own reiatsu to support the use of this. But you – you are very special, Hitsugaya-taichou. You transformed the captain commander's reiatsu into a form similar to your own Hyourinmaru. When I found that out, I couldn't contain my excitement. Since you could not complete it quickly, I used a little trick just to get it done quickly. With this – "

He showed Hitsugaya the Hougyoku he was holding in his hand. "I had to see the results completely, so I reversed the process I use in transforming hollows into arrancar, or what is called shinigamification. It is relatively easy to create new arrancar, but I had to use my own reiatsu to turn you into a vaizard. Isn't that special? Now I couldn't wait to see what other surprises you have in store for me."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened. He touched the ceramic material clotting his shoulder. Realization hit him. _So that was it… this material…is the same as that of a hollow's mask…_

He raised his reiatsu and charged towards Aizen. "You bastard!" However, his target did not even flinch. He simply raised the push button he was holding to chest level, and pushed it. Hitsugaya dropped to the ground as reiatsu-filled electricity passed through him, incapacitating him and sending him agonizing in pain as deadly volts worked up every muscle, every nerve that was there. Aizen looked down at him and stepped on him.

"That's not good, Hitsugaya-taichou. You're supposed to be my test subject, and nothing more. You'll do exactly as I tell you, because you have no choice but to obey me."

He looked up to the ex-captain and smirked. "L-Like you seriously think I'd do that... I'd rather die than f-follow you, you sick bastard."

"But I'm sure something even worse than your death would make you realize that I only want my goals to be accomplished, Hitsugaya-taichou. I knew from the very beginning that you wouldn't follow me without some sort of an incentive. It's not candy, but I'm sure that it'll certainly persuade you into servitude. Here's a little insight to it: let's just call it peer pressure." He clapped his hands twice. "Bring in our little present to Hitsugaya-taichou. We certainly want him to experience a little of our thoughtfulness."

Ulquiorra slowly entered the room, dragging behind him some sort of a dark cloth. He scrutinized it, and his eyes widened in shock when he realized what Aizen's little present was…


	8. The Thin Bloodline

VIII. The Thin Bloodline

"Please accept my little present, Hitsugaya-taichou. I prepared it especially for you."

Hitsugaya was simply shocked. His jaw failed to move a single bit in its awestruck state. Ulquiorra raised the black cloth he was holding, as if showing Hitsugaya whatever he carried. Disheveled dark, brown hair flung from across the sleeve of the black garment, clinging to a bowed, seemingly lifeless head. Two limbs dropped from the shoulders, as if they were attached loosely. The clothing of the poor creature was torn in several parts, and there was evidence of dried blood on the shoulder and leg. Several bruises and light cuts were evident on the arms. The lifeless doll raised her head, and stared at Hitsugaya's deep blue-green orbs through the strands of hair rambled on her face with her own deep black-brown orbs. His teeth grit in fervent hatred, and his hand clutched on to his zanpakuto with the guidance of saint anger. Ulquiorra let go of his grip on the lady's sleeve, making her drop face first on the ground.

"I thought you might be lonely here, so I brought in a companion to keep you entertained." He stared down at the abused figure. "Certainly you wouldn't mind joining in, right, Hinamori-kun?"

Hitsugaya stood up, leaning on Hyourinmaru for support. His reiatsu blasted the equipment lying around them. "You bastard… I will kill you."

He tried to demolish Aizen's figure, and once again, his target pressed his magic button. Someone's scream tore the angry atmosphere of the experimentation room. Hitsugaya dropped in a split second, but he managed to look up to see from whom the cry came from. He saw the mangled form of Hinamori wailing in hell-mustered agony over the coursing of electricity in her frail body. At the exact same time, their punishment ceased. Hinamori fell silent, taking quick, shallow breaths, smoke still rising from her body.

"Let me explain, Hitsugaya-taichou. That little device I attached on your neck is my way of making you follow my command, and it serves as a punishing device if you ever disobey me. Another device similar to that is attached to your friend here," Ulquiorra grabbed on her hair and raised her by pulling it, revealing a black belt similar to his attached on her neck. "It does the exact same thing, electrocuting both of you with reiatsu-based electricity, though in her case, it deals twice the amount of it compared to yours. So, it basically means everytime I punish you, she fries under the amount of damage done to her body."

Gin commented. "Kinda like how ya stick meat in an open fire, right, Aizen-sama?"

Ulquiorra let go. Hitsugaya tried to move from his lying position. "L-Leave her out of this, A-Aizen… she doesn't have anything to do with this…"

"Nothing to do with this?" Aizen raised his brows slightly at the remark of his subject. "She has everything to do with it, Hitsugaya-taichou. I know how important she is to you, which is why I need her if I am to succeed in my experiments. If I didn't do that, then there would be no way of pursuing this experiment. Let me give you my special deal with you; every time you disobey my orders, I will punish you, and you know what that means. If by chance you get yourself killed during any mission I give you, I will kill her, but before she dies I will make sure she suffers every little bit of pain that we will let her endure. If you do something I don't like, you get punished as well. Now I'm going to ask you just once: Are you going to join my ranks or not?"

Hinamori raised her head a little, just enough for the boy to see her face. She tried to reach her hand out to him, and slowly she extended her hands out toward him. She called out to him in an almost whisper volume. "H-Hitsugaya-kun… d-don't – "

Ulquiorra cut her off by stepping on the hand she extended, and crushed every bone present in her fingers. She wailed, and next he removed his foot on her hand only to kick her side and step on her back. Hitsugaya's eyes widened, his orbs reflecting both fear and concern.

"Stop it!" Ulquiorra immediately paused. Aizen smiled lightly.

"I believe you've made you're decision, am I right?"

"I… will join your army, Aizen Sosuke."

"From now on, you will address me as Aizen-sama. Remember that, Hitsugaya-kun."

He bowed his head in defeat and gritted his teeth. "Hai, Aizen-sama."

"By the way, sorry for those bruises on your precious Hinamori-kun. It was hard convincing her to come by and keep you company, and I just did what had to be done so you wouldn't be lonely." He turned his back on the two. "I believe you have some catching up to do, so we'll be leaving you to that." They slowly walked out of the room, leaving a broken Hitsugaya and a tormented Hinamori behind.

* * *

"No matter how many times ya think of this kind'o things, it still surprises me, Aizen-sama." 

"It's always a matter of taking advantage of one's weakness, Gin. It was very easy to find our little taichou's most treasured, as it is as easy to find a black spot against a background of white."

"Neh, what do ya plan to do with him now, Aizen-sama?"

"Let's put him through a test on how much his power has been augmented, and I know of a good idea on just how."

* * *

Hitsugaya ran over to the aid of the mauled girl, who was hardly moving. He took her in his arms, concentrated reiatsu and began healing her. Though his healing abilities were never above par, he thought of it as just enough to remove her from her present state. His eyes softened with concern and deep guilt. He spoke to her in a soft tone. 

"Forgive me, Hinamori… it's all my fault… I just wish… this didn't happen."

She stared at him with soft eyes. "H-Hitsugaya-kun…" was all she managed to say before passing out. After some moments of healing, Hitsugaya carried her bridal style on to the bed in the room, laying her softly on its thin cushion. He looked at her with eyes filled with guilt, and turned his back at her. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and clutched his head. Without so much as to thinking, he flailed his hand sideways, brushing off the equipment near him and causing them to clang and shatter on the floor. He cursed himself inwardly, with each breath he hated everything more and more. After calming himself, he took the twin zanpakuto and walked out of the room, and continued walking the halls of Las Noches. Finding a place besides a window-like opening, he rested himself beside his two blades and started to ponder. His energy having been drained so quickly by the previous incident, his eyes started to grow heavy, and finally he went to slumberland.

* * *

_He walked across a vast plain covered in ice. Just before the horizon, burning grassland lay in the center of the ice-covered terrain. He drew closer to it, and tried to see past smoke and distorted air due to the scorching fire. Soon the fire died down, and the smoke cleared. Hitsugaya dared venture forward as the heat perished. At the center of the parched surrounding sat a man with jet black hair, similar to that of Rukia's. He wore a long red coat, and a zanpakuto jutted out from the corner of the cloth. He stared at the approaching white-haired captain, and stared into Hitsugaya's blue-green orbs with his incinerating red pupils. When Hitsugaya came near him at no less than three steps away, he scoffed. _

"_It's 'bout time ya showed up," he said in an arrogant tone. "I thought I was gonna be waitin' 'ere f'rever."_

_Hitsugaya's brows furrowed in curiosity. He had never seen the man before, yet he seemed to be very familiar. _

"_What?! Ain't ya gonna say somethin' and jus' stand there, ya little punk?"_

"_Who do you think are you calling a punk?"_

"_Tch, don't be so cocky, shinigami captain boy. Ya ain't even know me yet."_

_He snapped his fingers, and before Hitsugaya knew it, a ring of fire surrounded them both. The person smiled cockily. _

"_Now, let's get to know each other."_

* * *

You guys are so good at guessing things like knowing what the present was. Oh well, I was never good with those things anyway. 

Please review..._  
_


	9. Flames of Fury

IX. Flames of Fury

"_Now, I ain't really good with these intro-speakin' thingies, so let's jus' get started."_

_Hitsugaya reached for Hyourinmaru that, as far as he could remember, was slung on his back. When his hands reached for it, however, he found nothing. He turned his head a little sideways, just enough for him to see over his shoulder at the side of his eye, and this confirmed his fear. Hyourinmaru was missing. _

"_Lookin' fer this?" _

_He turned his head towards the unknown man, and he saw his zanpakuto in the hand of that person. His brows furrowed and his face contorted in deep seriousness. _Not good,_ he thought. The mysterious man clutched his hand that was holding Hyourinmaru, therefore crushing the blade into two shattered pieces. Hitsugaya's eyes widened in disbelief. _

"_Ya ain't gonna be goin' with dear ol' Hyourinmaru fer now. He's gonna be havin' a li'l break__ so don't go on disturbin' 'em." _

_He gritted his teeth. Things were not going well. Without a zanpakuto, his only way of defending himself was with kidou and hakuda. His enemy scratched his head, scoffing at the boy. He took out a zanpakuto from his coat, and flung it at Hitsugaya. The captain caught it, and eyed it curiously. He instantly recognized it as the red zanpakuto that looked very much like Hyourimaru. _

"_Take that, since ya rely on a zanpakuto too much. Tch. It ain't gonna do ya any good, anyway. A zanpakuto without a name is jus' good fer throwin' away. But if ya wanna last long in this li'l intro of ours, I suggest ya take it." _

_Hitsugaya eyed the zanpakuto carefully, before pulling it out of its sheath. _No choice. Better with a weapon than none at all.

"_That's better, boy. Get a li'l closer with yer zanpakuto…" his reiatsu started rising. "Now I suppose we could get started."_

_The person disappeared in a flash. Hitsugaya peered to see where he might be. _

"_WHERE THE HELL DO YA THINK ARE YA LOOKIN' AT?! I'M OVER HERE!!!"_

_He looked up, and saw the red-eyed person crashing down towards him covered in an unbelievable amount of reiatsu. He raised his zanpakuto, securing it with his two hands and blocked an incoming fist from the enemy. The impact caused a crater to form where Hitsugaya stood. The enemy shifted his position quickly, landing on his two feet and tried to land another punch on Hitsugaya, once more being blocked, but causing the boy to fly away with the large amount of force applied in the punch. While in midair, the enemy reappeared on top of the still-startled Hitsugaya, and landed a kick on him. He raised his blade, and blocked the attack, though it still sent him crashing down the ground. He stood up, though he was still shaking with the sheer force used by his enemy. Just a few meters from him stood the man, still burning with reiatsu. The person eyed him cockily and scoffed._

"_Ain't ya gonna call on yer zanpakuto already? You're pathetic! Look't yerself! Yer so desp'rate in blockin' my attacks, but even though I can't hit ya directly, ya still take damage from the impact. And ya can't even fight back! The hell with that?!" _

"_Destructive Art #31: Red Flame Cannon!"_

_A blast of red energy started ramming towards the blood-eyed male, who didn't even move a muscle. He just scoffed at the sight of the kido cast on him. _

"_Kido, huh? Don't be so damn ignorant, boy, and show me your zanpakuto's power already!"_

_He brushed off the red ball with one hand, and instantly charged towards the startled captain with a fist drowning with reiatsu. His target was not able to react in time, and his fist landed on the boy's stomach, causing him to cough blood and be flung away at a good distance, forming a crater where Hitsugaya crashed. He started walking towards the boy slowly, his body releasing vast amounts of reiatsu. Hitsugaya stood, leaning on the unnamed zanpakuto for support. His garments were already torn from the previous attacks he took, and his felt as if he was at his limit already even though he hardly used any of his reiatsu. The single blow he took on the stomach was so powerful he could barely stand and recover. He felt his bones crack upon standing up, and he could hardly support his weight. _

"_S'that all yer good for? No wonder that Aizen bastard could whip yer li'l ass around. I hate wasting my time on weaklings such as yerself. If ya ain't gonna show me yer zanpakuto's true power, then I'm jus' gonna kill ya already." _

_He started gathering an unbelievable amount of reiatsu in his palm, taking the form of a small ball of fire. Fire was blasting around them, and he was blazing with extreme levels of energy. The air around them distorted their visions with too much heat. Hitsugaya felt his bones crumble, and he couldn't muster the power to fight with his opponent. He was at the brink of being killed when he suddenly heard a voice ring inside his head. _

"Having problems with fighting, huh?"

"Who are you?"

"I feel that you have the need for power right now… and I am willing to give it to you. Just call on me, and I will help you…"

"…you…"

"…call on me from where I come from, and I will come to you."

"_Oi! Don't space out on me like that!"_

_Hitsugaya's eyes started burning with reiatsu, though it was unlike those times he uses Hyourinmaru. This time, his eyes were burning bright red. The man threw the ball of compressed reiatsu at him, burning the ground that traced its path. He concentrated his reiatsu on the unnamed zanpakuto, and mustered the strength to hold it up straight. _

"_Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin!" _

_A large demonic creature appeared behind Hitsugaya, spewing forth scorching flames. Hitsugaya brought down his zanpakuto, and a flaming dragon came forth, drowning the surroundings in a sea of flames. It intercepted the ball of red energy, and the two canceled each other's effects when they met between the two warriors. His opponent smiled._

"_Remember my name well, kid. I ain't gonna go this far again as to talkin' through yer head and tryin' to tell ya what it is…" the figure was hidden behind a wall of fire, and disappeared. In his place stood the large demon-like creature that was behind Hitsugaya a while ago, now with flaming dragons flying around him. Once more, he spoke, but now in a frightening tone. "Keep it well in your mind well, Hitsugaya. I am the one who shall bring you power beyond your greatest imagination. Just call on my name, and I will come out from the depths of hell to your assistance."_

_With that, the large image crumbled into a wave of flames that rushed towards the blade in Hitsugaya's hands, entering it, and disappearing. He was afterwards engulfed in flames, scorched by the burning heat. His vision was blurred, and the world seemed to be consumed in a vastness of black. _

* * *

"So what's next for the kid, Aizen-sama?"

"A little training must be done first, Gin. I brought back someone to help a little with this." Aizen spoke to the silver-haired commanding officer of his army.

"Yeah, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Aizen-sama?" aired a familiar cocky tone that bounded from the walls of Las Noches. A familiar man dressed in a white hakama, with a zanpakuto whose crossguard was shaped like a crooked S jutting from a sheath hanging on his black sash. "I'm gonna deal with that bastard shinigami after I'm done with the kid."


	10. Through the Fire and Flames

X. Through the Fire and Flames

Hitsugaya opened his eyes. As far as he could remember, he succumbed to sleep in his little 'dream' where he was engulfed in the flames of Gogyou Enjin. _Gogyou-Enjin, yes, that is his name. Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin. _

He sat up and looked around him, and just remembered that he fell asleep near a window-like frame somewhere in Las Noches. He ruffled his hair a bit before trying to stand up. He looked down when he felt something against his leg, and noticed the two zanpakuto in their respective sheaths. He eyed his newly-acquainted zanpakuto in a different light; that somehow, he uncovered one of the mysteries surrounding his newly-found ally. He slung Hyourinmaru on his back as always, and paused for a while, eyeing the other zanpakuto once more. After trying on different positions in carrying the blade, he found it most comfortable to place it on his sash like the regular way of carrying a katana. He tried pulling the two blades in this position, and found it very efficient as such. He noted that he wore nothing to cover his chest, though he did not find it quite disturbing either. After trying his two blades a few more times, he quickly ran over to the room where he left Hinamori.

But she was nowhere to be found.

He quickly looked for some clothes that could cover his bare chest, but found none. He went outside and bumped into a man that looked like he was wearing glasses, and had shoulder-length pink hair to match. He wore a short-sleeved white hakama, and underneath it was some kind of a shirt that had long sleeves, covering up to a certain extent of his hands. He stared down on Hitsugaya with his reddish-orange pupils, with one of the brows raised, but quickly assumed a more indifferent expression after a few moments. Hitsugaya clearly identified the person as an arrancar. He cleared his throat and spoke to the boy.

"I believe you are Aizen-sama's guinea pig, Hitsugaya Toushiro. He requests your presence at his hall immediately for a meeting…" he turned his back on Hitsugaya, and was about to walk away, when he faced the boy again. "… and I almost forgot to give you this…" he handed him a box, which Hitsugaya immediately took and opened. The box revealed garments similar to that of the arrancar: a regular white hakama, shortened to fit his size, and a sleeveless white shirt. The arrancar quickly left. Though he did not wish to put them on as he viewed them as a sign of treachery, he wore the two pieces of clothing to cover his torso and as well as to obey Aizen's orders. The white garments contrasted with his other shinigami outfit, the lower part of his shihakusho which covered his lower limbs. After putting on the outfit, he proceeded to the 'meeting hall' of Las Noches, where the arrancar usually met with Aizen. He walked up along the path that seemed like the walkway, and came toward the man seated at the throne in the center of the hall.

"Welcome to the Espada's Meeting Hall, Hitsugaya-kun."

"You called for me, Aizen-sama?" he felt like he wanted to choke himself with that last word he uttered.

"I would like you to train yourself with the use of your new zanpakuto, Hitsugaya-kun. I already asked Szayel Aporro Grantz to construct a special training space for you. By the way, Hinamori has already been transferred to her room just one more room from this hall. We gave her some special treatment, of course. She's a very special guest, so don't worry about her."

He simply bowed and left the hall. He quickly proceeded to the room located a room apart from where he was. He found nothing more but a long corridor with small, dank cells lined up next to each other. He scanned the area, and found her in one of the cells at the end of the long line. He quickly came over to her, and was able to pass through the barrier set there with ease, though he did not know why. He just came over to her figure which was lying down on a thin-cushioned large mat placed on the floor. He sat down next to her sleeping figure, and upon doing so, she stirred and slowly opened her eyes. He looked at her with eyes gleaming passionately, mixed with a feeling of sadness and guilt. She looked at him with her usual plain, jolly look, as if nothing happened. She just yawned and stroked her disheveled hair, and did what she could to fix her torn clothing. She smiled at him brilliantly like she always did back at Soul Society.

"Hitsugaya-kun! It's good to see you!" she stretched her arms upward, and yawned again afterwards. She wiped off a small tear that formed on her eye upon yawning, and looked at him again with a smile on her face. "I have to admit the cushions here are quite thin, so the place you'll be sleeping at is quite hard and cold, but still I had quite a good sleep."

Hitsugaya bowed his head and grit his teeth. His brows furrowed in much sadness and guilt. He felt as if impunity was upon him. She looked at him passionately, and placed her hand on his clenched fist. He looked up to meet her black-brown orbs filled with gleaming brightness.

"It's alright, Hitsugaya-kun. It's really hard, but we'll have to endure this one. I could last under these conditions as far as I could tell, so by the time being, just do what you think you have to do to get us out of here. You can do that, right, Shiro-chan?"

Hitsugaya's face darkened. Without much of a word, he locked Hinamori in an embrace, his mood darker than usual. He spoke to her in a soft tone.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori. I'm sorry that you have to endure this much pain because of me…"

She kept as silent as a mouse. Without a word, she just lay there in Hitsugaya's lock, and stroked his back while returning the gesture. They just remained in that position, succumbed by the silence of the cell and the knowing gesture to each other. After a few moments of being in this situation, a voice broke the silence between them, aired in a cocky tone.

"Mind if I cut in?"

They quickly shifted their gaze on a man wearing a white hakama with a white jacket, the edges jagged and the sleeves rolled up, the collar upturned revealing a black inner lining of the cloth. A zanpakuto with a crossguard shaped like a crooked S jutted at his black sash. He had eye linings similar to that of Madarame Ikkaku, save that his are blue, and a jaw-like remain of a hollow's mask was on his right cheek. Hitsugaya eyed him catiously.

"Grimmjow Jaggerjack… sixth Espada in Aizen's army… what are you doing here? Kurosaki killed you already…"

Memories of the Espada's previous encounter with the orange-haired shinigami crossed Hitsugaya's mind. It was the last time that the two fought. Grimmjow grinned at the statement.

"It is kinda like that… but Aizen-sama was quite a genius and found a way to bring me back to life. Even evolved me into a vasto lorde. That's quite a relief, isn't it?"

"Brought you back? How – "

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you what I know. He said he brought me back by copying a certain property of your konpaku, and with a little trace of your reiatsu, he gave me the capability of evolving my powers to the level of a vasto lorde. I guess I owe you one, after all."

_Using my konpaku… evolved using my reiatsu… what more could Aizen do?_

"But don't go worrying too much about it. After all, you're such a gifted brat anyway. Just dropped by to tell you that by the time Szayel finishes the construction of your training ground, your drill sessions will start. I'll be seeing you there, shinigami boy. Spend this time with your girlfriend for the time being."

He turned around and walked away, leaving a very serious Hitsugaya and a furiously red Hinamori. Without facing Hinamori, he spoke once more.

"I'll have to leave you here for now, Hinamori. But I promise you I will get us out of here even if it's the last thing I do."

He walked out of the room quietly, his twin zanpakuto secure in their respective places. Her gaze was still fixed on him, her hand clutching the cloth on her leg. Her eyes gleamed with concern for the young lad.

"Hitsugaya-kun…"

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	11. Walking Amongst Thorns

XI. Walking Amongst Thorns

A whiz of black and white blurred past several marking posts. Following its trail came a huge bunch of hollows the size of ordinary human adults, each sniffing out its scent and all wishing to make it its prey. The blurred image finally came to a stop, and quickly pulled out a zanpakuto jutting out of his black sash, and a large wave of fire passed the marauding group, incinerating each one instantly, ashes the ones only left behind. Another flank of hollows came from behind him, and using his free hand he pulled out another zanpakuto that was slung on his back, and a trail of ice encased all of those that stood in its way. With another swing from the other zanpakuto, he managed to incinerate all of those hollows trapped in their icy prisons. With that done, he returned his blades back to their sheaths and wiped the drops of sweat running down his face. Unknown to him, two pairs of eyes have been watching him from the safety confines of a one-way window, peering to his every move.

"What have you been able to find out from this dry run, Szayel?"

Aizen had been disturbed by the interesting information that kept him eyes and ears open. The knowledgeable arrancar did not mind looking up to the leader, his eyes instead focused on the files he was reading and from time to time, his eyes peered on the movements of Hitsugaya. His brows were furrowed in all seriousness, but at the same time his lips were twisted in some kind of a cruel smile.

"His level of growth has been really amazing, Aizen-sama. Since that day you brought him in, he has shown much progress in terms of his skill and reiatsu level. His technique has been modified compared to the data we have gathered from his encounter with Grimmjow's Numeros and later on with Luppi and Yammy, it is a lot more devastating. His konpaku shows very unique traits I've seen only in Juego and him. Through the combination of his reiatsu and traces of a deceased hollow-derivative soul, we were able to create an exact copy of the deceased creature. It's truly amazing, especially when we applied this on traces of Grimmjow's reiatsu, and voila! We've created a replica of the original one, and even so the replica evolved into a vasto lorde. I've also kept a data trace of his konpaku, and copied of similar properties that could be possibly analyzed, and implanted it on the weakest of hollows. Just imagine the extent of what we could do with his konpaku, Aizen-sama! Just imagine that I've implanted those on hollows so weak that even an ordinary shinigami with an unnamed zanpakuto could kill them, yet after I've done so they've all evolved into adjuchas! His konpaku is very interesting, and just to give you a little glimpse of it, I've found out that it has the ability of absorbing reiatsu to levels approaching infinity, which is why those hollows we incorporated with a slightly similar property have evolved so much in such a small period of time."

Szayel was madly drowning himself in the information that his files have kept for him. He seemed insanely interested in every little detail of it. Aizen merely smiled, and turned his back on the arrancar. His thoughts revolved solely on the boy, his head wandering to far vastness of what his test subject had in store for him.

* * *

Hitsugaya wiped off the sweat forming on his forehead. Somehow, he felt as if he's changed. He felt that his body was being filled with power to the brim. And it was really strange, since he could only recall reaching that level of power when he fights at his limits, but now, he wasn't even releasing reiatsu, yet the power flowing unconsciously out of him was at that level already. He even tried holding it back as much as he could, yet he felt as if he was already using Hyourinmaru's shikai. He stared down his hand, watching it as he opened and closed it. He could feel the power flowing in him like a thousand rivers whose waters merge at one point. He stood up and looked around him, his gaze wandering around on the glass-like material that served as an encasing structure to the place. He noted that it was able to reflect the reiatsu being blasted at it, and with that small mental note, he drew out Gogyou Enjin once more. Upon drawing, several hollows appeared, and raised their reiatsu to elite levels. Without raising his reiatsu from its current level, he summoned the blade's shikai, and drew forth searing flames from around him.

"Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin!"

He swung down his blade burning in flames. It released a very large wave of fire, and damaged all of those in its way. A hollow appeared behind Hitsugaya in a flash, and brought down a fist tempered with reiatsu at him. He quickly shunpoed out of its way, and reappeared right above the enemy, and positioned the blade for a stab. He tempered his blade with reiatsu, and commenced the attack.

"Million Stabs!"

He did a very rapid succession of stabbing and pulling the blade from the target, causing the hollow to be punctured in most parts of its body. With a final powerful thrust, the hollow disappeared into nothingness, accompanied by a huge explosion caused by the zanpakuto's flames, but not without leaving a crater from the impact. A claw came in from behind him, and without moving from his position, he partially drew Hyourinmaru from its sheath, thereby blocking what was meant for him. After blocking it, he quickly turned around and gashed it in the chest with his fire zanpakuto. Another hollow came in charging at him with barred teeth, and as such he quickly shunpoed out of its way, and attacked it from behind, cutting through it with the two zanpakuto in a rapid one-two succession, slicing through it like butter. Though he killed those previous hollows quickly, the rate at which they came was a lot greater, and soon it came to a point that they were about to overwhelm him. He switched his grip of the two blades, and held them in an inverted fashion, and with a push from his feet, he leaped off the ground while spinning, cutting off the incoming enemies while he spun like a chopper's blades. He spun in a manner that even Kyoraku and Ukitake would admit to be magnificent for a person who just learned how to wield two blades at the same time. All those that touched the edges of the blades instantly perished, and a swirl of fire and ice formed around him. He landed on his two feet after a moment or two, surrounded by vanishing hollows and a large mix of blue and red.

* * *

"Oi, you little girl, feeding time…"

Hinamori quickly turned her head towards the arrancar standing at the opening of her cell. The same zanpakuto with a crooked S as a crossguard, the same blue linings at his eyes, and the same jaw-like remain on his cheek. Grimmjow Jaggerjack. He carried a tray with several table appointments on it, filled with food. He had the same cocky expression on his face, the atmosphere he created as arrogant as ever. He scoffed as he placed the tray down before her, and looked at her with brows furrowed. Hinamori didn't feel quite right about it, but she had a gut feeling that she should just accept. She looked up to him, trying to look for something to say under the watchful eyes of the powerful arrancar.

"Ano… uhmm… arigatou, uh… Jaggerjack-san…?"

He just scoffed at her statement and scratched his head indiscriminately.

"I'm not too fond with that, shinigami. I don't really care what you call me, but it'd work with just Grimmjow. Makes it easier that way."

"Ah… hai, Grimmjow-san…"

He didn't feel like saying anything more, and just scoffed. He turned his back on the female, while she turned her gaze on what was before her. She didn't notice him look back at her over his shoulder, with quite a meaningful glance. He afterwards removed his gaze from her, and went on his way. But just as he left her cell, he gazed on her one last time, grinned and licked his lips, and changed his expression to something different than before, as if it was filled with some evil intent. Peril seemed to be at hand.

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	12. When Day and Dream Unite

I had to change the rating because of the inner hollow's language, as well as some mature themes.

* * *

XII. When Day and Dream Unite

Trouble was brewing back in Seiretei. To them, Hitsugaya and Hinamori have been missing for nearly a week, without any news as to what has happened. But that was what the rest of Seiretei knew to their extent. Deep in Matsumoto's mind, she knew a lot better that she felt like she never wanted to know anything about it at all. She just shouldn't have known.

She sat there on their division office's couch, the same couch that she used to sleep on after drinking sake or just goofing around and spending the rest of the day napping. But that was before everything came as it is. She sat there, without any scent of alcohol on her. She hadn't taken in the substance for the whole time that the two had gone missing. Or were made missing, to be exact. Her thoughts revolved on her last requested meeting with the captain commander and the other captains scheduled back during a captain's meeting.

_The old figure of the captain commander stood at the center of the two lines of captains, standing to his left and right sides respectively. There was an eerie silence between them, as if there was some sort of gravity in the situation. Finally the figure of authority spoke to break the silence in the atmosphere._

"_As you may know, tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushiro and fifth division lieutenant Hinamori Momo have gone missing, and their locations are unknown. I've already requested the twelfth division to trace them by their reiatsu traces, but could not identify the location to where they have gone. For other details, twelfth division captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri will explain."_

"_We've taken samples of Hitsugaya Toushiro and Hinamori Momo's respective reiatsu, and using some devices that I developed, we were able to follow the nature of their reiatsu and terminated at some location. In Hitsugaya Toushiro's case, we've followed his reiatsu to a certain location in a forest near the twentieth district in Rukongai, where it seemed to terminate at that point. After that, it seems that he just vanished into thin air. The same goes for Hinamori Momo, whose reiatsu was last traced just outside the northern gate of Seiretei. We've also tried looking for their reiatsu in the living world, but the tests show negative results. I have already made a theory that if they have just disappeared like that, then maybe they are trapped in another dimension not quite familiar to us. The most possible case is that they may have been in their last locations when they have been taken into this alternate dimension I am speaking about," the scientist spoke in detail, holding a piece of paper in his left hand, scribbled with wavy lines and diagrams that none understood but him. The captain commander nodded, and he fell back in line with his fellow captains. _

"_The other thing to be discussed is upon request of tenth division lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku. This is in relation with this issue that we have just brought to light. Here she is and she will continue about its details."_

_She stepped out of the shadow at the corner of the room, and nodded in agreement. Her face and eyes agreed with the seriousness of the topic at hand. _

"_As they have discussed, the two of them have disappeared lately. I am going to report the incident I encountered upon following Hitsugaya-taichou when he went on his way to the twentieth district. He was with Hinamori Momo that day. Using the binoculars with a featured reiatsu tracer I borrowed from the twelfth division, I followed them that day and monitored their movements just because I thought of it as a mere joke for them. When we reached the woods near the twentieth, I noticed a strange signal from the device, and I immediately sensed danger and tried to follow them there, but the defected captain Ichimaru Gin blocked my way. The rest of the time I had been fighting him, so I wasn't able to follow the taichou to where he went. After some time, Aizen appeared, as well as the fourth Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer. The arrancar was dragging taichou behind him, and I knew that there was evidence of blood from the taichou. I tried to follow them, but Aizen managed to incapacitate me with his reiatsu. They kidnapped him. What was strange is that I didn't see Hinamori with them when they left." _

_The scientist spoke up. "I didn't think your brain was too small not to realize what has happened, Matsumoto-fukutaichou. It was last indicated that Hinamori Momo's reiatsu was traced just near the northern gate. The tests also indicated that it was at a time about two days before Hitsugaya Toushiro went missing. Time-wise, she had already been missing beforehand, so there's no way she could have been with him. Either you're just a complete nuthead, or you just didn't think of Aizen's capability with his zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu, complete hypnosis. That would explain why she was there, it's all because Aizen cast Kyoka Suigetsu to make it look like that she was there. It just means that your captain's brain is just too pathetic to realize that Aizen planned it all along."_

_Matsumoto's brows furrowed deep with the scientist-captain's remarks, but tried to ignore his insults squeezed between his statements. After the captain has finished his chat, she faced the captain commander once again. _

"_In view of this matter, I would like to request permission to conduct a search-and-rescue operation in Hueco Mundo for the retrieval of tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushiro and fifth division lieutenant Hinamori Momo." _

_The old man closed his eyes, and sighed. He opened them once more to look at the determined figure of the buxom lieutenant. _

"_Much as that seems to be the right thing to do, I'm afraid I cannot allow it."_

"_But soutaichou – "_

"_I know what goes on in your head, Matsumoto-fukutaichou. But the risk of sending even the most elite of shinigami and getting them killed is too high. The current strength of the arrancar army Aizen Sosuke has is at a level that is very alarming. We must prepare ourselves for the war before we could muster the strength to defeat them." _

_She bowed her head in defeat. The other captains eyed her in their own view of the matter. Ukitake furrowed his brows, feeling sorry for her; Kyoraku tipped his straw hat down; Komamura closed his eyes, sighing; Unohana looked at her in a pitiful manner; while the others remained indifferent of the situation. Silence crept upon them, and again Yamamoto broke it._

"_With no other regards at hand, this meeting is dismissed." _

_The other captains left, leaving the defeated lieutenant behind. She clutched her hands tightly and bit her lower lip. After a few more moments, she also left the room. _

Her brows were furrowed deep in thought. She was trying to think of what would ever happen next.

* * *

Hitsugaya walked into Aizen's throne room, the leader sitting idly on his throne, playing with the Hougyoku on his hand. The defected captain looked up to the boy after sensing his presence. He looked calmly upon him, though the person seemed to be quite uncomfortable about the meeting. He noted that he had changed his clothes completely to that of the standard clothing used by the arrancar, Hyourinmaru still slung on his back, while the new zanpakuto Gogyou Enjin strapped on his waist.

"You called for me, Aizen-sama?"

"Yes… I've been assessing your capabilities for the past few days, and I've made up my mind to send you on your first mission. I'm going to send you to Soul Society to see how much your power has grown."

The boy's eyes widened. "Soul… Society?"

"Yes… Soul Society… wouldn't it be nice if you paid them a little visit?"

"…"

"I'm going to have to assess your capabilities against other shinigami, which is why I have chosen that place. Given enough hollow reiatsu, a high-level breach will be alarmed, and they're going to send in the most elite of Seiretei. That is where you come in."

"You – " He grit his teeth in anger. The thought of having to harm shinigami made him hate the man even more.

"Remember our deal, Hitsugaya-kun. If you don't do this, then she's dead. Don't get yourself killed, too, or you know what happens."

He bowed his head and clenched his fists. The situation was harder than he thought. He had only a little time to make his choice.

* * *

Matsumoto finally reached a wide grassland just outside of Junrinan, Rukongai's first district. According to the hell butterfly, that was where the arrancar's reiatsu was detected. So far, she was the only shinigami present there, though she wasn't really alarmed by it, considering that it may just be an incomplete arrancar that she could handle by herself. She had her hand on Haineko, considering the situation to change into a more serious one in a split second. She waited for any signs of activity, and soon a Garganta opened in front of her. She drew her zanpakuto ready, sensing some danger to be at hand. Finally the figure of a very powerful arrancar froze her on her spot.

Ulquiorra emerged from the opening he made. Leaving the Garganta open, he eyed the shinigami from head to toe, his melancholic appearance remaining the same. She furrowed her brows, having failed to gauge the situation and now standing there in front of one of the elites in Aizen's army. Her forehead was covered in sweat. She did not expect things to turn out that way.

"Trash. I expected at least a captain to show up here to conduct this trial. Come out there, boy. Aizen-sama ordered your skills to be studied and assessed, and I will make sure that it be done."

She prepared herself for a heated battle, expecting things to be very messy. She hoped in all means that backup arrive quickly, since she knew that there was no way in hell that she could ever hope of defeating the extremely powerful enemy, let alone him with an ally. Another entity stepped out of the black opening, and upon gazing at it, left her speechless, mouth gaping open. She could not believe her eyes when she saw the very familiar figure step out of the portal.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…"

His brows were furrowed in retaliation. He had a very notable change of style, though; his shinigami robes have already been replaced by the arrancar's uniform. He still slung his zanpakuto on his back as always, but what was very puzzling was the other zanpakuto strapped on his waist which looked very much like Hyourinmaru.

"Taichou… what is going on here?"

Ulquiorra turned his back on the two. "I'll be watching you, Hitsugaya. Choose your actions wisely."

The newest member of Aizen's army heaved a deep sigh. He looked at his lieutenant in the eye, and expressed the gravest of moods he could ever have. "Matsumoto…" he started. "I and Hinamori are – " he stopped and looked back at Ulquiorra, who was watching them from a distance. He faced her again, and only uttered a few more words.

"Forgive me, Matsumoto."

He drew forth his red zanpakuto from its sheath, and started raising his reiatsu slowly. His chest felt heavy, and he found it hard to swallow. He felt it hard to muster the will to fight the lieutenant, that even though Hinamori's life depended on it, it was hard to do what he felt was wrong.

"Taichou…" she said softly, her eyes gleaming in another light. With those few words, she understood what must be done, and started raising her reiatsu as well. She quickly shunpoed behind him, hacked at him in an attempt to cut him from behind. He blocked it bare-handed, and she quickly shunpoed once again, this time in front of the captain, and hacked him again. He intercepted it with Gogyou Enjin, matching her two-handed swing with a mere one-handed grip. They repeated their attack-and-block procedures, with her attacking him relentlessly and him blocking every attack with either his bare hand or with his zanpakuto. Though he did have every little chance to kill her instantly, he did not. Seeing that the bout was going nowhere, she moved away from him, and started raising her reiatsu even more.

"Growl, Haineko!"

The blade crumbled into specks of dust, and charged towards Hitsugaya. He twirled the blade in front of him, spinning it and forming some sort of a barrier between him and the particles of Haineko. He just maintained that when he heard something from the back of his head.

_Oh please, Toushiro! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get on with it and kill her already! Don't you want to keep Hinamori from harm? Then go on and finish her! She's trash to begin with, and all the while expendable. If you can't get this job done, then you leave me no choice…_

That was the last thing he heard in his mind before everything went black.

Matsumoto maintained her sharp control over Haineko. She couldn't get through her captain's technique. After another moment, he bowed his head down and stopped spinning the blade. He quickly connected it with a swing from his blade, and a large wave of fire erupted from it, forcing her to be pushed back with her zanpakuto. After finding a safe place to move back, she looked at the young lad who had seemed to have ceased his movements, and stood still like a statue. After a few more moments, he heard laughter that seemed to come from him, though the voice was quite unlike her taichou's voice.

"T-Taichou…?"

He placed his zanpakuto back in its sheath, lifted his face up, and revealed the face of the monster within him.

"DIE, YOU BITCH!!!"

Without perceivably moving, he disappeared from his previous location and reappeared in front of her, landing a fist on her face. She flew a good distance from the captain, and crashed there. She tried to stand up, and touched her cheek with one hand. She eyed the boy, now with a mask forming on half of his face, the whites of his eyes changed to black and the blue-green irises to gold. He was walking slowly towards her, his reiatsu starting to rise slowly.

"Toushiro can't even manage to kill you even though he knew it had to be done. He's such a pathetic little bastard to begin with, anyway, so I'll just have to finish this myself."

She readied herself with her zanpakuto once more.

"Growl, Haineko!"

The dust specks once again raged towards him, there to cut him by the time they reach their target. He pointed two fingers at her, and quickly gathered energy the level of her maximum reiatsu. He fired it at her, canceling the attack and forcing her to get out of its way. She shunpoed quickly to move out of its path, and before she knew it, he was already standing before her, and landed another punch now at her gut. She coughed up blood before he connected his attack with a kick to her face. She was thrown away again by the sheer impact it made. She clutched her stomach upon landing while standing up shakily, leaning on Haineko for support. He was laughing maniacally while she gathered the strength to continue fighting. As with what he has done, he instantly appeared in front of her, though this time she was able to anticipate it, and quickly slashed him. Her efforts failed, though, as he caught her hand that held Haineko by the wrist, and with a quick rotation of his hand, he broke her arm. She howled in pain after the crunch that her bones sounded. She dropped her zanpakuto, and he hit her stomach with his knee. She coughed up blood once more, leaning forward due to the force he applied. Her position now as it is, he landed his knee now on her face, and thus made her fall backwards. She lay flatly on the ground. He started stepping on her injured arm repeatedly, with each time she screamed in agony, while all the while he was laughing like a lunatic, and after some time he landed his final step on her arm and moved his foot as if crushing it. He moved on and shifted this pattern with her stomach as his target. He started off with a very powerful step on her stomach, which made her cough up more of the crimson liquid, and afterwards stepping on it repeatedly. He quickly halted this when he felt the presence of other people around them.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

* * *

"Feeding time."

Grimmjow entered Hinamori's cell once again, with the usual tray of food with the exact same contents as he always brought her. He placed them before her, as usual. She did her usual expression of her gratitude and slowly moved towards the food, though not bothering to stand up from her bed. He eyed her once more, and his eyes narrowed with intention. She did not seem to pay him attention, though, and proceeded with checking what was before her. He grinned maniacally as he did before, and licked his lips again. She quickly noticed that he was still standing before her, and was puzzled, so she looked up to him to see his eyes fixed on her with a wide grin on his face. Oddly enough, she felt as if something was not right.

"G-Grimmjow-san?"

He slowly walked towards her with the same look on his eyes, and now she was quite terrified, and slowly started moving away from him.

"… don't worry, shinigami… I'm not going to hurt you…"

* * *

Please review... 


	13. Winter Rains of Fire

XIII. Winter Rains of Fire

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

The white-haired half-hollow looked up to the sixth division's lieutenant, Abarai Renji, and with a slight twisting of his body, he evaded the supposed damage that he should have taken. The lieutenant commanded his zanpakuto to extend once more, and shifted its direction slightly so that it should hit the target who was still in his former position, thinking that the time allotment would not be enough for him to dodge. His target just snickered, and blocked the beastly blade with one finger, and connected it with a quick shunpo towards Renji and landed a punch on his face, sending him rolling on the ground. He slowly stood, albeit shaky, and spit blood in his mouth. He gathered his resolve and stood firmly with Zabimaru in check.

"Hitsugaya-taichou! You must stop this at once!"

The half-masked hollow sneered, and looked at him cockily, tilting his head to one side as a display of his arrogant air. "Hitsugaya-taichou? You mean Toushiro? Sorry, but he's not here…"

The red-haired shinigami's eyes narrowed. "You… who the hell are you?"

"Who am I? You know what… the truth is… I DON'T KNOW!!!!"

He gathered reiatsu on his palm, slowly building up a very powerful cero blast. He directed it towards the solid-hearted man who dared stand against him, and let it make its way toward him. Having been partially able to gauge its power, and knowing that he didn't stand a chance in hell against it, he got out of its way using shunpo. He quickly reappeared to what he thought was a safe spot, but was surprised to find his enemy's palm right in front of his face with a nearly-completed cero charging on it. He couldn't move a muscle. He knew that there wasn't enough time to move out of its way if he fired it.

He was going to die. God, he was going to die.

"Destructive Art #4: White Lightning!"

Hitsugaya's hollow looked to his left, and quickly dissipated the cero he was forming to swat away the concentrated lightning-like energy coming towards him. Renji took this opening and quickly moved away. The half-hollow made a quick glance at his supposed prey, and scoffed. He focused his attention on the newly-arrived figure that stood just a few meters before him, holding a zanpakuto in his right hand. He noted that his enemy wore a kenseikan, and had a white scarf. He looked at the powerful masked creature apathetically, with a sharp piercing air in the manner he stood.

"Tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, you have been found guilty of developing hollow powers illegally and of assaulting your fellow shinigami. By the law of Seiretei, you are hereby labeled as a fugitive and are allowed to be taken back dead or alive. Your evident assault of Soul Society is viewed to be a treacherous act of your newly-pledged allegiance to the arrancar. You, who disturbed Soul Society, must be cut down."

He started raising his reiatsu, but offered no sense of terror to the amused enemy. He quickly glanced at the powerful arrancar watching them, who made no other move to even help the newest traitor to Soul Society. He shunpoed towards the child, and slashed him across his chest, only to find his attack to be blocked by a bare arm. The other hand tried to land a punch on Byakuya's face, and with a quick tilting of his head, avoided it. He moved back and started raising his reiatsu to be able to cut through the child's tough steel skin. He charged toward his enemy again, who tried to anticipate his attack with a punch, but he quickly sidestepped out of its way and made a clean gash on his shoulder. He followed the attack with a quick burst of red energy in the form of a ball hurled at Hitsugaya, who was apparently startled, and took the powerful rendition of the spell fully. Byakuya moved back, and waited for the smoke to clear to make his next move. Hitsugaya came out of the clearing, with Hyourinmaru out of its sheath. He charged towards Byakuya while a white ceramic material reminiscent of the hollow's mask formed on the gash made by Senbonzakura. He hacked the former, who blocked the attack with his zanpakuto. He continued attacking Byakuya, and the captain constantly blocked the powerful one-handed attacks, eventually being forced back slowly. He made a move back, and raised his reiatsu once more. He dropped his zanpakuto to the ground, which dissolved into sakura petals upon contact.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

A large wave of petals came toward Hitsugaya, who merely stood in his place, and raised Hyourinmaru. A large blue dragon came out of the blade and seemed to swallow the thousands of tiny blades of Senbonzakura, freezing them all on the spot. Byakuya started commanding the petals with the use of his hands, and soon the blades were able to break free of the ice prison made by Hyourinmaru. Once more he directed the wave to attack the boy, but each and every little bit of it was blocked by a barrier of fire that surrounded the lad. After the unsuccessful attack, the wave died down temporarily, and as such, Hitsugaya quickly reappeared in front of Byakuya and stabbed him in the chest with Hyourinmaru, and pulled it off through the shoulder, nearly ripping the captain apart. The royal-blooded fighter finally fell, crimson liquid still showering from the huge wound and bathing his surroundings in a deep red, while Hitsugaya laughed insanely.

"You call yourself a captain and that's all you have? Ha! You didn't even challenge my full skill! Even with shikai I was able to beat the hell out of your ban kai! The hell was that?! You lousy pathetic excuse for a shinigami!"

He kicked the downed Byakuya in his face, and then kicked him at his side repeatedly while laughing like a lunatic. The victim coughed up blood in a consecutive fit, one for each time he is kicked by the powerful young lad. He eventually sat on the former's chest, and started punching him repeatedly on the face.

* * *

Ulquiorra did nothing but watch them from a safe distance. Despite the fact that Hitsugaya was now battling against three shinigami officers, he did no action as to help the now-uncontrollable vaizard. He merely watched the whole event under Aizen's command. 

_The melancholic-looking arrancar stepped inside Aizen's throne room. The man he sought was sitting on his usual place, the Hougyoku in his hand. He stopped just before the arrancar leader and bowed. _

"_You called for me, Aizen-sama?"_

"_I am going to send Hitsugaya to Soul Society for a little assessment of his powers. I want you to go with him."_

"_For what, Aizen-sama?"_

"_You will do nothing more but watch him while he engages in combat with other shinigami. Alert Seiretei of your presence by showing a little of your reiatsu, just enough to attract high-ranking officials to come towards you. After that, let the boy fight them by himself, but make sure that he doesn't get killed. I still have a lot of plans for him. He has a lot of hidden power, Ulquiorra. Make sure that he lives."_

"_Hai, Aizen-sama."_

He watched every detail of Hitsugaya's exhibition closely. He tried to gauge the power of the boy closely. Though he did not show it, he was really surprised.

_That boy… with his reiatsu, his steel skin is even tougher than any member of the Espada. With his current rate of progress, he could even match Aizen-sama's reiatsu given enough room to grow. Furthermore, his conscious self is easily subjugated by his hollow side, so there would be no conflict in power to act as a hindrance to his accessing of his power reserves. He… will become very powerful…_

* * *

"Ban kai!" 

The small whip-like zanpakuto transformed into a large segmented snake-like creature. Renji grew a small fur cowl around his neck, and held the massive creature-like evolution of his zanpakuto.

"Hihio Zabimaru!"

Hitsugaya moved away from the beaten-up captain. He was anticipating the attack from the oversized animal-like zanpakuto. After Renji raised his reiatsu a little more, he got the large snaketail moving, coming after Hitsugaya. He gathered reiatsu into a more compressed form of a cero, and pointed it towards the ban kai coming towards him. The space around Hitsugaya started being distorted, the images around him started to become blurred with the amount of spiritual pressure crumpling the dimension. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, for the first time in ages, eyeing the cero in Hitsugaya's control.

_Gran rey cero?! Aizen-sama, is this why this boy is so special to you?_

He fired the compressed and very powerful cero at the ban kai, and after the smoke cleared, a cleanly-split snaketail was revealed, as if it was cleaved by a large sword into two. The ban kai disappeared, leaving Renji with a shattered normal zanpakuto. The half-hollow reappeared in front of him, and plunged Hyourinmaru in his stomach. Renji coughed blood, and the predator twisted Hyourinmaru and pulled the blade through his side. In the blink of an eye, he ended his bout with the sixth division's lieutenant. He turned around when he felt the presence of other shinigami's reiatsu. He saw the powerful captains of the seventh, eighth and eleventh divisions.

"I didn't know the little brat could've put up a fight like this," the battle-lusting captain of the eleventh division retorted. "You two get outta my way, 'cause I don't want to be disturbed with my fight."

Komamura's eyes narrowed. "This may be a little harder, Zaraki. Don't take this like one of your games."

The lord of war grinned maniacally. "It's gonna be so DAMN FUN!"

He drew his abused-looking zanpakuto and started releasing his reiatsu. The two other captains also started raising theirs, which left them in quite a fit of a skirmish. The boy did not bother charging towards them. He just stood there watching them as Zaraki kept on ranting about fighting the enemy alone. He did that until a ball of red energy came at him, and he swatted it away with one hand. He turned his gaze at the woman who fired it off, with her other arm limping at her side. The captains also eyed her, when suddenly he shunpoed towards Matsumoto, and plunged his hand into her stomach and pulled it out as well. She coughed blood and fell with her back flat on the ground. He started choking the life out of her, and she tried to break free and rambled her hand about, as if grasping for air. Kyoraku shunpoed towards him and slashed in his direction just to free the victim. The boy moved back, evading the blade, and started raising his reiatsu to even more frightening levels. The captains' eyes widened, as they felt the spiritual pressure growing larger and larger every moment while he laughed insanely. He did just as that when one of his hands suddenly grabbed the half-face mask on him.

_You bastard… disappear!_

He started swaying like a drunk and waving his other hand around.

"Damn you!!! Can't you see I'm doing the job for you?!! It's gonna be finished! Stop that! Bastard... Stop!!!!"

A series of screams followed until he broke of the mask, and the black and golden color scheme of his eyes reverted to the original white and blue-green. He was still breathing heavily, as if he did a very strenuous activity. When he tried to stand firmly, he felt his body drain of energy, his knees shaking and unable to support him any longer, and finally he fell to the ground and the whole world seemed to be drowned in darkness.

The captains were left speechless. Kyoraku slowly digested the situation and walked slowly towards the boy. He was just a few steps away from the boy when a figure cut in between them.

"That is as far as you go. I cannot allow you to take this boy with you, as Aizen-sama wants him back."

"Sosuke-kun? What does he want now? First he got the Hougyoku, and now he wants Toushiro?" he drew his two zanpakuto, ready for a bout. The fourth Espada picked Hitsugaya by the collar, and soon a negacion field was brought down on them, and they slowly rose to a rip of dimensions in the heavens, with several menos grande there looking down on them from the opening.

"There is nothing more that is needed here. Our job here is done, and we shall take our leave. You know better than to attempt to retrieve him, shinigami. Mark my words, and if you can, never seek him again…" with those words they drifted into the hole in the sky and disappeared back to Hueco Mundo.

* * *

Grimmjow took Hinamori up by her collar. She slowly rose as he pulled her up at an awful pace. 

"Don't be so shaky, woman. I'm not gonna harm you…" he said in a soft tone. His body inched closer and closer towards Hinamori with every moment. She tried to move back, but found her back against a wall. He started to lean in towards her, and she tried to push him back, but he kept on coming at her.

"Grimmjow-san, please… don't…"

He brought his lips close to her ear, and whispered softly, his warm breath creeping up to Hinamori's nerves.

"I'm gonna be gentle with you… don't worry too much… I promise it ain't gonna hurt badly… besides, at least you'd get a real man than that bratty kid. You wouldn't want a little bastard like him, would you?"

She felt her blood boil slowly, and by her gut instinct, a loud whack was heard from Grimmjow's unmasked cheek, still with marks of the hand that came upon it. He gritted his teeth slightly, and touched the red mark on his cheek, and felt a vein pop out slightly from his head. He clenched his fist and, after a few seconds, landed a punch on her face, causing her to be thrown against the wall. She felt the sheer amount of strength he applied on that hit, and she panged in pain. He pinned her against the wall and looked at her in the eye. His warmth slowly made its way to her, as they were very near to exchanging breaths.

"Your little brat of a boyfriend ain't here to pull you outta this one, sweetie…" his hands made their way to her hips. She tried to push him back, but found that she did not have enough strength to do so. She tried to hit him again, but this time he caught her hand, and landed a very strong slap on her face, which made her fall on her knees, and her strength drifted from her. Tears formed on her eyes as he pulled her up by her hair, and forced her to tilt her neck sideways, revealing her neckline undefended, and felt his warm breath close to it. The tears that had just been forming a while now started to run down her cheeks, and she was only able to mutter one thing in a very soft tone, as one hand seemed to try and reach out.

"…Sh-Shiro-chan…"


	14. Shackles of Fate

Sorry if this came in a little too long. I had to work with something so I had not much time to write. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Again, I'm sorry for making you guys wait.

* * *

XIV. Shackles of Fate 

The few shinigami present near the arrancar and the newly-labeled traitor watched as the Gillian-class menos pulled the two up to the heavens, the high-ranking arrancar holding the boy by his collar. Ulquiorra looked down upon the eighth's captain, who in turn looked up to them with a serious look on his face. The arrancar shifted his gaze down to the new ex-captain he was with, and then up to the heavens to the dimensional rip made by the menos.

_I can see now what you want with him, Aizen-sama. He is indeed very special. With what I saw, I know just enough to believe what great potential he has. If we don't take care of him properly, he might become a monster someday. I know now that you are the key to winning this war, Hitsugaya. Your konpaku is indeed very interesting, though I doubt that anyone will ever be able to analyze you completely. _

The two vanished into the darkness of the hole that has just closed. Kyoraku sheathed his two zanpakuto and dismissed his dark expression with a deep sigh, the thoughts of what happened still being digested into his deep mind. His thoughts were broken when a female voice called out to those present there, steps approaching them.

"Kyoraku-taichou! Komamura-taichou! Zaraki-taichou!" called out the familiar voice of the fourth's lieutenant. She approached the scene of the heated skirmish with her captain just behind her.

"What happened here, Kyoraku-taichou?" queried the soft, motherly voice of Unohana.

"Tough battle, I guess…" he shrugged off. "Aizen's guys."

"I felt a very familiar reiatsu just now… but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I'm just imagining – "

"You're not imagining 'em. It was Toushiro-kun's reiatsu…" his voice trailed off.

"Hitsugaya-taichou's? Where is he then?" she was already puzzled. Isane immediately proceeded to healing those wounded

"He… he was the one responsible for this."

"He is?"

"There were two of 'em, he and the fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer, though the arrancar never did anything besides watch the boy do these things. He just alerted us with his reiatsu and the boy did the rest. Turned out that he gained hollow powers like that of the vaizards, except that he works for Sosuke-kun."

"I see… then, what do you think is the case with him, Kyoraku-taichou?" she queried him with a serious glint in her eyes.

"He isn't a real traitor. I know he just couldn't be. Though Yama-jii wouldn't probably view things this way, I think that Sosuke-kun's using something to drive him into doing these things; maybe that lieutenant from the fifth, uh… " he paused and thought for a while. "Ah, yes, Hinamori Momo. That would explain why the girl's missing too. Must be using that girl to drive him into service. I could say that his hollow transformation was not really a hollowification, though. His inner hollow just took control until we came here. It's not like that ryoka boy Kurosaki, who just dons on his mask."

"I see."

She turned her back on the eight's captain and proceeded to healing the wounded as well. She made her way to the tenth's lieutenant and drew her zanpakuto. She heard her mumble things while she lay there bloodied.

"Taichou…"

* * *

Ulquiorra was dragging the boy along the halls of Las Noches. He was still amazed as to what the boy had displayed. 

_A gran rey cero compressed to the size of a bala, reiatsu that has no limits to its growth, speed even faster than that of Shihouin Yoruichi's flash steps… this boy is a monster. He is and will become even more powerful. _

He continued walking down the long dark hall when he passed by the same arrancar that gave the boy his garments, the pink-haired genius. "Back again, Ulquiorra?"

"This boy's first mission is done. Aizen-sama's expectations as well as assumptions were indeed fulfilled. He must now be taken back to him for further analysis as well as to report what I have seen."

"He told me to tell you to take that boy to my laboratory for analysis. Just drop him there before you go to Aizen-sama for your report."

He simply nodded in reply, and dragged the by along towards the room where they were supposed to go. Szayel's thoughts were bugged by much thought concerning the boy.

_Still, this boy's konpaku cannot be fully analyzed by any equipment we have here. I wonder just what he could show in the future._

* * *

"_You…"_

_Hitsugaya clenched his fists and snarled at the smiling figure of his inner hollow. The inversion seemed unfazed, and kept his smiling yet sadistic aura with him. _

"_I just did what you had to but could not do, Toushiro."_

"_Bastard…"_

"_That's not a way to thank someone for doin' you a favor, is it?"_

_He drew his two zanpakuto out of their respective sheaths, and started raising his reiatsu. _

"_Sit upon the frozen skies, Hyourinmaru! Rise from the depths of hell, Gogyou Enjin!" Hyourinmaru's blade transformed into a blue version of itself, while Gogyou Enjin transformed into a pure red blade. The blades started spewing forth their respective energies; flames erupted from Gogyou Enjin while cold blue swirled around Hyourinmaru. His inner hollow still remained undaunted, as if the impressive reiatsu that Hitsugaya was blasting around him was nothing. The boy charged towards him, and swung down the two zanpakuto on his enemy. He merely blocked the two with a bare arm, and the energies from the two strayed themselves away from him. Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock. His hollow brushed off the attack and landed a solid punch on the boy's face, and sent him crashing away from him. _

_He scoffed at the slightly weakened figure of the ex-captain. "The hell?! Was that it? You're so pathetic! You can't even wound me even though you could use your twins at the same time! You have that double shikai capability comparable enough to fight against several ban kai, yet you can't even wound me! You're such a weakling, Toushiro! You don't even know Gogyou Enjin that much yet! If you think that because you've learned Gogyou Enjin's name and grown in terms of your reiatsu you could already beat me, then guess again, asshole. You're light years away from me to begin with."_

_Hitsugaya felt like he was struck down with that statement. He slowly rose, and assumed his stance once more. He was about to charge at his opponent again when his hollow spoke._

"_Tell me, then, Toushiro. Have you subjugated Gogyou Enjin already?" His eyes widened. "See? Don't even dream of beating me if you haven't learned your new zanpakuto's ban kai yet." The inner hollow looked up to the skies and grinned. "Seems like their calling out there to you. Tch. I'll get you the next time I could."_

* * *

Ulquiorra entered Aizen's throne room, and upon approaching the person seated just before him, bowed in respect.

"I have returned, Aizen-sama."

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra. Show me what you have seen."

"Hai."

He took out his eyeball and crushed it, turning it into a powder-like substance that filled the air. The powerful arrancar leader breathed it in, and within moments he saw, felt, and heard everything that the cuatro Espada experienced.

"I see. So that's why you left?"

"Hai. By my estimates, it would really appear that the boy's half-masked hollow form can easily take out all of those shinigami present there. Hadn't it been for his true self resurfacing, he would have decimated the whole of Soul Society by himself."

"That will be all."

"Hai."

He bowed once again and excused himself from the leader's presence. Aizen pondered even more now that he learned something new about the boy.

* * *

Light but sure steps were heard treading the halls of Las Noches. Out from the blurred corners slowly came the familiar figure of the cuatro Espada, whose mind was still boggled by the amazing feats displayed by the newest member of Aizen's ranks. He walked the dark halls with his mind flying somewhere else, only to be disturbed by the very tall figure that blocked his way. He wore an eye patch and his other eye was accented in a snake-like manner. He wore a wide smile which revealed his upper teeth, and had long, black hair. He stood in the way of Ulquiorra's path, and the Espada stopped just right in front of the large blockage. 

"Well, well, how's it going, Ulquiorra?"

"Move out of my way, Nnoitra."

"Eh? What're you talkin' about? I was just gonna ask you how's it going with that brat. Is that so bad? Heard you just came in from Soul Society to go with that kid. Must be a bore, eh? At least with pet-sama, you had such a tasty job."

"That boy is still up for further analysis. Seeing you here standing before me would even practically tell me that you owe the boy some gratitude."

"Now what the fuck are you talkin' about? I haven't even met the little bastard yet, so how in the name of hell is he gonna do somethin' for me?"

"Then how do you think have you been able to come back here?"

"If you mean about bein' brought back to life, then it's 'cause Aizen-sama was kind enough to – "

"Aizen-sama was able to bring back the deceased Espada using some data that he gathered in his research regarding that boy's konpaku."

His snake-like eyes widened, and then burst into giggles. "I never knew you had that funny bone in you, Ulquiorra. How could such – "

"I'm not fooling around, Nnoitra. That boy's konpaku has yet to be analyzed for more of its peculiar properties. I wouldn't take him lightly if I were you. Given that he knows how to reign over his abilities, he could take you apart in a split second if he wishes to."

"That's fuckin' ridiculous! Don't go braggin' about you bein' the fourth, 'cause I'm not gonna buy it. There's nothing in existence that can break this body of mine, 'cause I'm the strongest."

He moved past the large, lanky figure that stood before him in his straight composure. He heaved a deep sigh before speaking again, not even bothering to face the lower-ranking Espada.

"I have no time to explain every little detail to someone who has no composure and has a very little brain to deal with it. Just a word of warning: never hope of ever engaging him in the battlefield."

Without another word, he left the fifth Espada there standing, still grumbling and mouthing curses under his breath. He stood up straight and proceeded to walk down the way opposite that of the fourth's.

"Not to take the little bastard lightly, eh? Ha! I would rip that piece of shit's ass into two!"

* * *

Hitsugaya opened his blue-green eyes and caught the vision of a dark world around him. He sat up on the bed that he figured out he lied on for the time that he had been out. He clutched his head as he remembered well the events that have transpired before he woke up. Flashes of bloodied shinigami, especially the figure of his bloodied vice, trailed his memories, and he felt as if he was watching them through his own eyes yet could not hold on the reins of his body, as if it was following something else. He remembered all too well the screams of agony that he heard from those shinigami he took down, those that he was forced to fight. Once more, he heard that ominous voice from the back of his head speak to him in his mind. 

_Don't fret too much about those things, Toushiro. After all, we're gonna be together for such a long time, so get used to it! I'll snap the heads of your friends and drown everything in their blood until there's nothing left anymore!_

That all-too-familiar lunatic laughter rang in his head, and he clutched it even tighter hoping that it would all go away. But it didn't. He gritted his teeth in a mixed chaotic mess of anger and guilt. He opened his eyes and remembered something that he felt he should check upon. After checking his zanpakuto, he immediately ran out of the room and took a look around in order to figure out just where he was in Las Noches. Using shunpo, he disappeared immediately to go to where he felt like he needed to be.

* * *

"Don't worry, chick. It's not gonna hurt that much…" 

Hinamori could not move. It was as if some primal, instinctive fear was upon her, and every muscle in her body just tensed. Her body wasn't doing what her mind was telling it to be doing, and all she could recognize was a faint light coming from outside the dank cell she was trapped in with quite a lecherous and powerful monster, so to speak. She felt his hand going all over her, and his warm breath still crawling up on her skin. She felt his hand now slightly tugging the collar of her robes, slowly revealing her white skin underneath. She was totally powerless at that moment. And all that she could do was to weep and hope that she could reach out. She was looking out to the faint light that was coming in through the opening of the cell when a shadow blocked its rays.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Grimmjow Jaggerjack?"

He instantly stopped what he was gorging in and looked outside towards the small and familiar figure standing at the door. He felt the presence's familiar reiatsu blasting in on him, as if it was shouting at him to go down and bow. He let go of the girl and immediately fixed his composure, stretching his garments a little bit as if removing its wrinkles.

"Nothin' much. I was just talking with your girlfriend here when I brought in her grub."

"Nothing, huh?"

He felt the visitor's reiatsu grow even more frightening, as if it was smothering him. The figure entered, walking past a startled Grimmjow and kneeled down to check on the quite-abused figure of the female just behind him.

"…Sh-Shiro-chan…"

He took her head up in one arm, and examined her carefully. He noted the bruise on her cheek as well as in other parts of her slightly-exposed body, some obviously from impacts and some evidences of applied pressure due to pinning her down. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and was very knowledgeable of the evidence of tears that ran down her cheeks. He spoke to her in a soft, whisper-like tone, as if calming her down.

"Shh. It's alright, Hinamori. I'm here." He slowly laid her down the thin mat, and stood up. Without facing the Espada, he maintained his calm yet frightening voice and asked the suspect.

"What the hell did you do to Hinamori?"

"I already told you that."

"That's it, then?" He faced the arrancar with his brows furrowed deeply in hatred and his eyes glowing with reiatsu. His hand was holding the sheath of Gogyou Enjin that was placed on his sash with his thumb at the crossguard, as if he was about to pull it any moment. Grimmjow scoffed and walked towards the young lad. He then heard that same frightening tone at the back of his head.

_He played with your girl just now, didn't he, Toushiro? Why don't you lop his head off? Surely there are lots of things that are now roaming in that little nut of yours but right now, just go ahead and finish him. Come on, you know you want to…_

With those few words his world was again enveloped in darkness.

"Look, just 'cause you – "

The thumb that was just a while ago positioned on the zanpakuto's crossguard flicked it, causing the zanpakuto to be thrown out of the sheath and its hilt hit Grimmjow's jaw, which in turn caused him to crash into the cell's ceiling. Grimmjow took out his head out of the hole he formed on the ceiling, his brows furrowed and his teeth gritting.

"You little piece of shit…"

He pulled out his zanpakuto and charged towards the boy. He was about to land a hit when the target seemingly flicked his arm with a quick sword pull, and before he knew it, he stopped in his tracks and howled in agony.

"My arm! You cut my fucking arm!!! I'm gonna KILL YOU!!!!!"

All Hitsugaya heard were the crash and Grimmjow's few words and curses before he saw everything again. Everything was black and before he knew it, he was there standing before Grimmjow whose arm was already severed. Once again, he heard that voice coming with menacing laughter.

_I'm coming to you, Hitsugaya! I'm gonna get so close to you before you even know it!_

"That's not good, Hitsugaya-kun…"

He again felt the painful electrocution be done to him, and along with his downfall, he heard Hinamori's screams of agony as well. He looked towards her and saw her crying in desperation, clawing on the floor in hope of diverting the pain somewhere else. Finally the punishment ceased. She was breathing heavily and smoke was still rising from her body. He looked up to the two figures that stood just outside the cell, right behind Grimmjow.

"Don't be so harsh on him, Hitsugaya-kun. He was just trying to be friends with Hinamori-kun, after all, and kept her company while you were out."

Grimmjow looked behind him to see who they were. "Aizen-sama! Lieutenant Ichimaru!"

"Yo!" Gin waved at the fallen Hitsugaya. He kept his usual light mood. "I didn't know ya had a taste fer young women, Grimmjow. Oh well, all works'n the end, anyway. Maybe ya should go find someone else, ya know. Toushiro-chan wouldn't want anybody getting' close to Hinamori-chan, isn't that right?"

"Let's go now, Grimmjow."

They turned their back on the two and left. Grimmjow gave them a quick glance and scoffed before leaving. After several moments, Hitsugaya was finally able to move, and went over to the girl's fallen figure. He kneeled down and took her up in his arms, and gritted his teeth. Her gaze was fixed, as if she had lost consciousness while her eyes were kept open. He embraced her and closed his eyes, his brows furrowed in guilt.

"Hinamori… I'm sorry…"

* * *

Note: that scene where Hitsugaya flicked the zanpakuto out of its sheath and made it hit Grimmjow's jaw is reminiscent of that used by Himura Kenshin in that episode where they first "adopted" Yahiko. He used that on that gangster guy with a samurai. 

Please review


	15. Dawn of the Black Sun

I'm sorry that this took me a long time since I had to do lots of things during my spare time. I was very busy lately so this came in late. Again, I'm sorry for the long wait.

* * *

XV. Dawn of the Black Sun

The bright sunny day of blue-skied Seiretei did not appeal that much to its inhabitants that day. Within moments of responding to the red-alert level arrancar threat, some of the most powerful officers of the Gotei 13 were decimated by one ex-prodigy of their very own. Never in their entire life have they experienced such a great feat performed by one who they did not expect to be capable of even in their wildest dreams. The thoughts of spending a bright and joyous day were masked by the grave threat that the ex-captain posed greater than ever before. Shinigami could be seen training their selves to the core harder than ever before. The power that the boy displayed in such a nick of time greatly disturbed most of the figures that knew of the incident and are familiar with what the capability of the white-haired ex-captain was.

The presence of two of the most powerful captains in Soul Society drew themselves outside of the healer's station. The flamboyant one hid his face under to what extent his straw hat could cover, and the other one showed a pretty obvious sign of a disturbed mind. Unohana cordially acknowledged their presence and came towards them.

"How are the guys faring?" Kyoraku inquired.

"We've managed to stop the bleeding of their wounds so far. Though their injuries were very serious, I am thankful that we came just in time to heal them. Had we come later than that, they would've died from extreme blood loss."

"Thank goodness it's all fine." Ukitake heaved a sigh, releasing a great burden on his shoulders upon hearing the news.

Unohana's eyes reflected a glint of confusion and unrest. "What were puzzling were those traces of reiatsu we found on the wounds. They couldn't be classified under what we know of with our current knowledge. Those reiatsu traces were not from any of the races that we know. What was even more puzzling was that those things were able to slow down the healing of the wounds to such an extent as if it was rejecting the flow of reiatsu that we were trying to apply to the wounded. They were also absorbing certain amounts of reiatsu from the ones that were wounded as well as some of the reiatsu that we applied. It took a lot of our division's energy to restore them. I could say that it was really because of Kuchiki-taichou and Abarai-fukutaichou's reiatsu reserves that they were able to slightly reduce the effect of the traces of enemy reiatsu on their wounds. They would be fine in about a week, but with Matsumoto-fukutaichou's case…"

A serious atmosphere weighed down upon the three captains. The captain-healer heaved a deep breath before continuing.

"Her reiatsu reserves are not as high as high as that of the two officers, which was why those special reiatsu on her wounds kept active. I was able to heal her, yet I had to sacrifice a lot of my own reiatsu to temporarily disable their effect. It seems that this is a special konpaku-related ability that, if I'm not mistaken, is a sign of evolution of a soul's characteristics. If we take those bits of reiatsu Hitsugaya-taichou's hollow form left behind, I theorize that his konpaku has evolved, gaining a capability of containing levels of reiatsu that approach near-infinite levels."

Ukitake's eyes widened. "That much?!"

"Hai. The main characteristic of his reiatsu is being like a magnet to other spirit particles and reiatsu. It absorbs them and adds them to his total reiatsu reserves. Unlike the Bounto, his body can handle extremely large amounts of reiatsu, which is in contrast with an ordinary konpaku. Usually, a konpaku would break down if it could no longer take the amount of spiritual pressure that is set as its limit. In his case, this limit is missing, so his level of growth would have no end."

"I was glad that he broke of the mask, though. We were lucky that he was taken back by that Espada to Hueco Mundo. If he remained in his hollow form…"

Ukitake and Unohana looked at Kyoraku with deep seriousness. "…Seiretei could've been annihilated."

Ukitake gulped at the thought. His brows were furrowed with the unimaginable extent of the boy's display of raw, vulgar power. Kyoraku pulled out something from the space within his sleeve and showed it to the two.

"Of course it's pretty obvious that this is Sakki stone. I took a small portion of this from that part of the wall nearest to our location then. I noticed it when we were going back inside Seiretei. I'm gonna tell you right now, I took this small piece without actually damaging the surface of the stone."

"But Kyoraku-taichou, if there hadn't been any damage on the surface, how come there's a crack on it?"

"This just shows what that boy has turned into. It had already started cracking under the amount of spiritual pressure that the boy had released. If he continued, the wall could've crumbled with that much power. That's why I already knew that I should really be thankful that they left."

Their attention was immediately drawn towards the hell butterfly that came towards their way. Kyoraku let the small insect land on his finger and a voice started relaying its message to them.

"Attention: all captains are hereby requested to proceed to the assigned meeting hall for a captain's meeting regarding captain commander Yamamoto's new orders."

He let the insect flutter from his finger. "Well, looks like Yama-jii's got something to say. Let's go."

* * *

"Looks like ya were quite beaten, Grimmjow…"

"…"

"Very well then, this would help."

Aizen walked towards Grimmjow with a syringe in his hand. He injected it in the Espada's shoulder, the one nearest to his severed arm. White ceramic material that of a hollow's mask first came out, forming the shape of his original arm, and afterwards the surface broke off, showing a fully-restored arm. His eyes widened in shock. It was not like Orihime's ability of rejecting fate as a temporal-spatial ability. It really was regeneration brought to a whole new level. He opened and closed his fist a few times and scrutinized the new limb carefully. It really felt like it was his original arm, yet with an added slick feel to it.

"How does it feel, Grimmjow? Is there anything you find disturbing with your new arm?"

It took him a while before he removed his gaze from his arm and put it on Aizen. "… it's just like my old arm, but somehow, it feels kinda different…"

"Then I guess that would be fine for you then?"

"… I… I guess so."

"Now, now, don't be forgettin' to thank Aizen-sama for yer new arm. It'd be rude, ya know."

"… Y-yeah."

He was still puzzled with his arm. It feels quite different, on the basis that it was like regeneration that superior hollows could do. He knew very well that some hollows could replace their amputated parts with material the same as that of the hollow's mask. It felt just like that, but better. He stopped thinking about it for a while, and moved out of the room, his thoughts now fixed on the boy who was responsible for his untimely amputation. When Grimmjow was at a considerable distance from them, a figure emerged from the dark corner of the room.

"I believe the data we obtained from him were very significant to this degree, Aizen-sama."

"The boy really shows great potential. We were able to restore Grimmjow's arm with just a little shot of a copy of that boy's konpaku-related ability of very fast regeneration. As far as I know it only appears in inner hollow manifestations among vaizards and hollows that have developed this capability. However, this preparation also made his arm capable of handling more reiatsu than his other arm, seeing as to how special it is now."

"Very well. My researches with these things have become more interesting as more time passes by. I'll just take a look into his konpaku's capabilities after a quick look on what the effect of that substance you injected in Grimmjow."

"Ya do just that, Szayel. Well, good luck with that."

* * *

Once more the long hall was occupied by the two lines of captains that stood on both sides of the captain commander. It was really quite disturbing, since it had only been a few days since the last captain's meeting took place. They knew better than to ask what was going on.

"I believe all of you have quite an idea why I called for this meeting. I know this seems too soon, but the recent events called for a counter-measure. Reports from sixth division captain and vice-captain Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji have told of their encounter with the forces that Aizen sent. That involves the fourth Espada Ulquiorra Schiffer and the latest addition to the army…"

The figure of authority paused. The other captains looked at the captain commander, their eyes and ears focused on the next thing he will do.

"… tenth division captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, who now possesses hollow powers."

None of the captains said a word. They knew all too well that the prodigy was now at the hands of the former captain and has now accessed greater amounts of power. They all waited for what they wanted to hear: the verdict for the newest ex-captain.

"He is now considered a high-level target and to be brought back into Seiretei dead or alive."

Ukitake drew a grim and surprised expression. Things turned out into the worst possible case scenario. Though it is true that he hoped for the best that the captain commander may understand the situation, it turned out to what he feared the most.

"But sensei, I believe there may be some explanation behind the things that have been going on. Hitsugaya-kun probably wouldn't do that without a very strong reason behind it. It's just with the reports that Hinamori-fukutaichou had also been missing. It's very much possible that Aizen is using her as a motivator for him to do these things."

"Much as I would also want to believe that and accept that there may be something going on, the truth that he betrayed Seiretei is still there and that he has joined Aizen's ranks. By the law of Seiretei, all traitors regardless of reason are regarded as enemies and must be dealt with the appropriate judgement."

Unohana tried to make her point count. "But Yamamoto-soutaichou, don't you think that we must take another course of action in these cases? I believe that the rule is not applicable in this case and we must take a look into it further."

The captain commander heaved a deep sigh before he continued. "There is no point in arguing and discussing the matter further. He has become a very potent threat to Soul Society, which is why we must take these matters as such. You are all dismissed."

Unohana walked out of the place as the rest of the Gotei 13 captains did. The verdict weighed with much gravity in her deepest thoughts. Though the young prodigy was nothing more but an acquaintance, she still viewed the judgment to be quite of a hack. She felt a deep concern for what the future may hold now that the ex-average shinigami captain was now an elite rogue vaizard under the wing of one of the most powerful warriors Soul Society has ever known. She had been revering in her concerns when she saw the figure of the tenth's lieutenant just waiting outside. She noted that woman was still not yet healed but she had already been standing there, having strayed away from the resting grounds of the fourth. Unohana quickly approached Matsumoto with much of a caring intent.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou, what are you doing here? You haven't healed enough to be going outside and straining yourself – "

"Taichou… what did they say about taichou?"

Unohana kept silent for a while. She was not sure whether to reveal the result of the captain's meeting to the psychologically-mangled shinigami. She looked into the lieutenant's eyes and saw there glints of sadness and tears, and decided to reveal it to her.

"It has been decided that Hitsugaya-taichou has betrayed Soul Society and is now a high-level target that is wanted dead or alive."

Matsumoto's eyes widened in disbelief. "But taichou… taichou didn't want any of this to happen! I'm sure that Aizen is pushing him somehow to do this!"

"I know… I'm sure that he wouldn't do these things. It's just that it is the decision of the captain commander since he is now a very potent fighter. I know that things aren't turning out the way we want them to, but as of now we couldn't do anything. I'm sorry," she paused to take a look at Matsumoto's condition. The woman had been clutching the recently-closed wound made by Hitsugaya, and had been sweating heavily, a sure sign that she had been bearing the pain. "You should go back to our division and get that wound checked. It could've been opened with you having moved around."

"Hai."

* * *

Hitsugaya once more entered the dank cell where they kept Hinamori. His brows were furrowed, and his bluish-green orbs lingered in deep thought. Though he was set upon checking on the female, it felt quite wrong and difficult to muster the will to set his eyes on her and approach her as he always did. He felt that he should never be there in the first place,like he committed a grave sin. His heart was burdened with irreproachable guilt that clung to him like a leech. When he took a step towards her, he felt even guiltier of an indescribable crime and willed no further to approach her, instead staying near the opening of the small containment. His face darkened with a near-suicidal mood that they should never be there in the first place. He dared not look upon her resting on the thin mat spread on the cold, unforgiving stone floor. She slowly opened her eyes from dreamland to reality, and set them on the gloomy figure that was standing at her doorstep.

"Hitsugaya-kun? What's the matter?"

He dared not speak. He didn't move a muscle and he did not dare set his eyes on her. He did not dare set his eyes on her, because they revealed nothing more but shame and guilt, once seen would most probably never return.

"H-Hinamori…" his shaky voice trailed. "I… I…"

She sat up and motioned him to sit beside her. He did just so, and upon accomplishing the morally-arduous task, she ran her hand through his hair and led his head to come and rest on her shoulder. He gritted his teeth, unable to bear the guilt his heart bore, and hid his eyes in her ruffled clothes. She ran one hand over his back and held his hand with the other.

"Hinamori… I'm so sorry…"

"Shhh… it's alright… it's not your fault, Shiro-chan. I understand. Don't worry, I'm fine. You just think about yourself for the moment."

* * *

Aizen and Gin approached a portion of Las Noches that most of the arrancar never strayed to. It just seemed like a large wall that with all of the walls in the structure. They approached it and came towards a waiting octava Espada.

"Aizen-sama, most of the data are ready. They are now ready to be processed and the test subject is showing a good output since the time we set it up."

"Very good, Szayel. Now, we may proceed with the next trials."

He drew his zanpakuto from its sheath. "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."

The wall in front of them disappeared, revealing a large gate-like structure made of Sakki stone. It opened, letting the three pass through to a dark room with a large glowing glass tube in the middle of it. They approached the encasing, and gazed upon a humanoid creature with a mask and whose body is composed of a white ceramic material attached to several pin-like protrusions inside.

"The last 24 hours provided enough time for his evolution to take place and be prepared for the feeding stage."

"We shall begin on the feeding phase after we are able to redesign his konpaku's structure. We might as well observe the boy first to note whether we would be able to evolve it even further. Keep a close eye on him, and analyze any data that may come up."

"Hai."

"Looks like yer tweakin' more of those li'l hollows around, eh?"

"This is the perfect time to decide whether I or Soul Society shall be triumphant."

* * *

Please review... 


	16. Awakening From Shattered Dreams

This one came in really late. I'm so sorry, since I had to accomplish a lot of forms that I needed.

* * *

XVI. Awakening from Shattered Dreams 

Matsumoto spent her time at the fourth's ward as silent as a grave. Her mind was still filled with horrible thoughts of the day her captain had nearly slaughtered her. Every bit of feeling, every wince of pain, every scream of agony, all of the horrors of that moment flashed in her brain. Sure she was drowning in terror, but what really bothered her was the thought of her captain siding with their greatest enemy. Fear was struck down with doubt and confusion, as all of the memories swirled in a turbulent whirlpool spinning in her mind. All the thoughts of that day were clashing with the thoughts of him as being her taichou. She clenched her head as the swirl became more violent with each moment that passed. Thoughts of her taichou's alleged "betrayal" were augmented with bits of memories of Ichimaru Gin's defection from Soul Society. Bits and flashes of various images whirled about in the vastness of her thought fabric.

"Umm… Matsumoto-fukutaichou, are you alright? You don't seem very well," the voice of the fourth division attendant came from across the room. She opened her eyes and instinctively set her eyes from the voice's owner. The thoughts stopped haunting her that moment and still clutching her head, she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. This is nothing."

"If you ever need anything, I'll be right at the entrance."

"Thanks."

The shinigami-medic left her without another word, and the thoughts soon came back to plague her once more. The image of the fox-faced former captain reformed in her head, and the memories of that fateful day disturbed her.

"_I really wouldn't have minded being bound for a little while longer…" he turned to her, his smile taken not in a mischievous nature, but in a different light. "Sorry, Rangiku..."_

"Gin…" she whispered to herself.

* * *

"Feeding stage has been initiated. Several units have already been assigned to the cages. We have already injected them with spiritual pressure serum samples we have reproduced. Sensors indicate large fluctuations in reiatsu levels from both cages. No other activity has been detected as of yet." 

The octava Espada read the symbols written on the sheets of paper that he held. Though he seemed indifferent about the matter, it could be seen in the glint in his eyes that he was delving deeper in the matter at hand. He interpreted the readings blankly, not minding Aizen's possible reaction towards the matter. It was not that bad, however, as the arrancar leader did not mind the Espada manners at the moment. He was much more concerned with their current experiment. He quickly took his glance from the cages in front of them and turned his head towards the apparatus beside Szayel Aporro Grantz. The arrancar quickly went over the said device and interpreted the lights and sounds it made.

"Test subject has mobilized. It has started feeding."

"My, my, is that what I think it is, Aizen-sama?"

"This is the next phase, Gin. There has been a slight change of plans due to the drastic results we have collected for the past few days."

"Oh, I see. Well, ya makin' somethin' new from those guys out there?"

They moved closer to inspect the glass-like cage. They observed the peculiar creature from the beyond the transparent barrier. Golden irises flashed from the dark portion that the creature moved about. There were also several menos lined up along the wall inside the barrier, chained and unable to break free. Loud screeches and wails echoed through the hall as each of these embodiments of thousands of hollows were devoured alive by the single creature that Aizen considered to be his test subject. It devoured those other creatures hungrily, like a predator that has eaten his meal after days of starving. Their blood and guts spilled out as it dug its claws through their exposed torsos, protected by reiatsu that stood no match for the test subject's own blazing spiritual pressure. Terror would have stricken any ordinary mortal dead, but the current audience was unfazed.

"Oh… what a hungry little mendicant that menos is. Sure is quite bloody, too. I guess ya haven't taught that guy table manners, eh?" Gin chuckled lightly before continuing. "So ya figured out feedin' him with those vasto lorde would make 'em stronger than any member of the Espada, huh?"

"I'm just taking into consideration the process of menos evolution. It is very rare that a menos could make it to become a vasto lorde, and the only way to do so is to continue devouring other hollows and maintain a consciousness. If ever a part of him gets eaten, then evolution stops. This is the very reason why I manipulated everything so that its evolution proceeds at the greatest level. I've made sure that I could feed it with Espada-equivalent vasto lorde menos I've made using that boy's konpaku-related ability, and I've also injected it with the serum I processed from the same source to make sure that he could maintain his conscience as not to revert to being an upgraded Gillian. If it couldn't maintain its conscience, then it'd just have the brain of all those normal Gillians but would have reiatsu as high as a vasto lorde. That would have been a waste."

"Well, when do ya plan on makin' 'em an arrancar?"

"After the feeding stage is complete, we shall move on to the next phase." He turned his back on Gin before he spoke again. "Soul Society shall see a plague that they have never seen before, and every soul in this world will bow down to me for I have created the reflection of perfection."

* * *

A familiar yet not-so-well-known silhouette of a person moved into the small containment that held Hinamori captive. She had been hugging her knees and resting her head upon them when she heard footsteps coming toward her. A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead. She felt her heart beat faster the moment she heard that single force step upon familiar ground. She feared that it might be the same arrancar that would be visiting her, and those memories of her being at the brink of utmost disgrace flashed in her mind. She set her gaze upon melancholic-looking eyes, yet she could tell that it was not that emotion that welled in those dull slit green eyes, rather, it was plain indifference that stayed there. She shifted her view from the person's eyes to the whole image, and she recognized the very familiar white hakama that he wore. A zanpakuto hung from his black sash, and a portion of a hollow's mask the shape of a broken helmet rested on top of his head. 

"I have been ordered by Aizen-sama to take care of you in place of Grimmjow due to the recent incidents that have happened. I brought in your usual tray of food, and it will just be picked up after an hour. Eat, or I will have to force it down your throat if you don't."

"Ahh…" she was only able to mumble senselessness. Relief had come upon her more than what she bargained for, but a new terror was also making its way to her the same time. His aura was quite threatening to some extent that she did not understand.

The arrancar immediately left without another word, and Hinamori's fears were quelled. She looked down at the tray that the unidentified arrancar left, and pondered for some time before another silhouette moved in.

"Hinamori?"

She looked up towards the very familiar person. "Shiro-chan?"

"I just stopped by to check up on you… and it's Hitsugaya-taichou to you!"

She let out a mild laugh at his reaction. He sat down beside her, and afterwards shifted his mood from his initial light-headed entrance to something more serious. "Is there anything bothering you, Hinamori?"

"Eh? Uhhmm… nothing really, Shiro-chan – "

"… I know that you feel afraid that Grimmjow's gonna come back…" her eyes widened with that statement. "… but I assure you that there's nothing to worry about. I'm here to protect you, Hinamori. I'll rip his head off if he ever does anything – "

She cut him off by embracing him, and she took that silence as an opportunity to speak. "Arigatou, Shiro-chan. Thank you… for everything."

* * *

After days of being confined at the fourth division's ward, Matsumoto was finally allowed to step outside once again. For once, she was able to take a short break from all the stress drawn by those ogling thoughts and plainly enjoy just being outside after that period of temporary seclusion. 

She wasted no more time and walked towards the top of Soukyoku hill where they have prepared the gate leading to the human world. With everything she needed in check, she followed the Hell butterfly as it briefed her about her upcoming mission.

"Tenth Division vice-captain Matsumoto Rangiku, you are assigned for a mission in the human world along with 3rd seat Madarame Ikkaku, 5th seat Ayasegawa Yumichika, vice-captain Abarai Renji and 2nd squad captain Soifon. You will rendezvous at the Senkai gate with the rest of your unit to guard the real world from any arrancar attacks."

She finally reached her supposed destination. She stopped in her tracks and wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead. Her days spent resting at the healer's ward took its toll, and she noticed too, that she was no longer as fit as she had been before. That short run easily drained her, and she knew that she needed to train to get back to her top shape, but her heart was ready. Her mind made the path already clear: she would push through.

"Looks like spending a lot of time bedridden got you out of shape, Matsumoto."

She turned her attention to the powerful bald 3rd seat of the 11th. Standing beside him was the narcissistic 5th seat of the same division. She snickered.

"I kind of lacked exercise while I was there. I had nothing to do but lie in bed all day and gloat about not being able to drink the whole time." She looked around before continuing. "Where's Soifon-taichou? I thought she was included in this mission."

"She had to attend to some investigation before going to this mission. I heard she'll be following us after she's through with what she's doing."

The large sliding door in front of them opened, revealing a pathway to the other world they are to go to. They proceeded towards the door without another word, the silence eerily creeping over a situation that does not call for it.

The visions of tomorrow were hazy, because the memories of yesterday still haunted her.


	17. Creeping in the Dark

XVII. Creeping in the Dark

Soifon searched among the records of souls that have been busing in and out of Soul Society. Her brows were furrowed deeply and her eyes did not gleam in the dark. Despite the signs of fatigue slowly but surely consuming her, she pursued her job and swept through record by record of these Souls as well as the expected number of souls for the given period time. There was a paradox gagging her mind that moment, and the pieces of the large puzzle still did not fit. She was really boggled; there was some sort of activity that may be going on that she was not yet able to figure out, but she knew she was close to finding an answer. Her brows raised in some kind of relief, or rather discovery, when she saw and pulled out a record from the great pool of knowledge that was right in front of her. She quickly scanned its contents and drew in a breath of deep thought.

_That day there were an expected number of at least a thousand souls, and indeed, the number of souls that has engaged in a soul burial was the same, except one whose chain of fate has already been used up and has proceeded to hollow transformation. This hollow was quickly disposed of that time that it transformed, but the other souls died with it as well. Strange though, since there was also a hollow sighting just about two weeks after that, and that it was also disposed of, and just as the incident before that, other souls died with it as well. It's not said here whether the two are just the same, but having other souls die with it is just… peculiar._

She continued to scan through the contents of the old file. She finally reached a page rendering an artist's sketch of the specific hollow that was being described previously. The sketch alone was outright horrifying, the hollow looking outright demonic in form. In her years of fighting with hollows, this was the first time that a stunning terror had struck her. Its mask was like a taboo god that has grown small tusks, and its teeth were nothing like the other hollow's teeth she has already seen. They were more like a shark's jaws, ready to devour anything that dare stood in its way. There were two flames resting on its spike armor-like shoulders, something very odd among hollows. A row of bone-like protrusions were on the sides of its tail. Wanting to know more about the terrifying creature, she flipped the compilation to the next page and was terrified at the things that lay open in front of her. She read it aloud unknowingly, the contents still striking her to the core.

"…height, 250 centimeters; primary attribute, combined melee attack and unknown special capability; top agility-type capability, shunpo-speed movement; estimated reiatsu class –" her eyes widened at that pause. A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead. "…shinigami vice-captain, and only estimated at its lowest possible reiatsu reading. This hollow had the reiatsu matching the level of an above-average shinigami vice-captain at its lowest reading taken that day, and had an intelligence to match as well. Its skin is almost as tough as an Espada's hierro, and had the fighting capabilities to compliment its unnatural spiritual pressure. It alone could possibly be a match to a powerful Gillian-class menos, and by the twelfth division's estimates, it could grow about one thousand times more than that level."

She flipped it to a close. It was different than any file she's ever encountered before. It was nothing like a mere report, in a manner or so. It was more like a revelation of the future doomsday to come.

_No wonder Seiretei kept that record tight for so long… if they let that kind of information loose, it would've sent all of the shinigami in a mass hysteria of some great destruction to come. Judging by the record of this record, it looks like this was opened a long time ago. With the gravity of the situation, it's mostly probable that this case was handled by a shinigami captain. I've got to let Yoruichi-sama know of this. Maybe she or that shop's owner Urahara would know anything with this…_

She made her way out of the room in the blink of an eye, and proceeded to the opening to the human world with great haste.

* * *

"It would be best it we went over to Urahara Kisuke's shop before we move on to other things…" 

"Yeah, I guess that's good. I bet that Soifon-taichou would go there since she'd be frolicking around with Shihouin Yoruichi before anything else."

The three seated shinigami officers went about their supposed duty, monitoring the human world, especially Karakura town, for any unusual spiritual activity. There wasn't anything mentioned about the previous incident regarding the "attack" of Ulquiorra Schiffer and Hitsugaya Toushiro, but they assumed that the very reason why the team was formed is because of it.

The sight of the red-haired Jinta and innocent-looking Ururu sweeping the front of a small shop made it clear that they were already at Urahara's shop. They stopped right in front of the small building, and took a brief moment to regain some lost breath from their short exercise. They no longer needed to look for the shop's perverted owner, since he came out right after they came.

"My, my, look who's here! Hello there, Matsumoto-san! Is there anything that you would need?"

Ikkaku whispered to Yumichika. "That guy didn't even bother noticing us. Maybe he's just blinded by Matsumoto's boobs, just like the rest of those other guys that fall under that trap…"

Yumichika nodded in agreement. "Yeah, come to think of it, that guy's just acting innocent but you could really tell he's just as perverted as anyone else."

Urahara cleared his throat, and caught the attention of the two. "Now, what is it that you need again, Matsumoto-san?"

* * *

_It was that fateful night in Seiretei. It was that day that she had been lulled to believing in the reflection of the moon on water that Aizen had shown her, and it was that clear night that she had drawn her sword against the one that had been there for her, to make sure that she never shed a drop of blood in her life. _

"…_the conspirator, Hitsugaya Toushiro."_

_She had just finished telling Hitsugaya the message written in Aizen's note. Tears were falling down her cheeks with the vivid memories of the captain lingering in her mind. Tobiume was pointed against that male whom she noted to be her best friend, and her mind was drawn into a great state of chaos and confusion. She did not know what to believe in that time. Hitsugaya dared not to move as well. He was still trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. _

"_--- that's really… what Aizen wrote… on the letter?"_

"… _yes… and he wrote this at the end;_

_Tonight, I successfully got him to meet me at the eastern holy wall. I will stop him from succeeding in his plan. If he doesn't I will fight him to the death. If I die, Hinamori-kun, please inherit my will, and slay him. This is my… last wish… not as the captain of the 5__th__ division… but as a man… pleading… for… your… help…" her voice trembled with a mixture of anger and confusion, her hand shaking with the utter concoction of chaos itself. Alas, she was gone._

_She attacked the alleged conspirator with futile effort. Despite the danger, he never drew his blade._

"_Baka Hinamori! Think about it!! Because he died, he wants you to fight his battle? Do you really think Aizen would write something like that?!! The Aizen I know… isn't an idiot ho would walk blindly into a battle when he is not certain about winning!! Nor is he a weakling who would tell his subordinate to take care of his problem for him!!"_

"_But… that's what it says…!! It has to be true!! It was definitely Aizen-taichou's handwriting!!" Hitsugaya was taken aback by that last idea. "I don't want to believe it either! But that's what Aizen-taichou wrote!! I have to do this… for Aizen-taichou…!! I… I…" she slowed down to a halt, ceasing to attack him. She was drowning in tears. "…I don't… I don't know what to do anymore… Shiro-chan…" every word coming out of her mouth made the situation harder to handle for the young captain. _

* * *

Hinamori woke up with a scream. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her pupils were dilated. The memory of that night was even more terrible than any other nightmare she ever had. It was the feeling of guilt, of deceit, of unreasonable anguish, that made her regret every action that she ever committed that night. She felt extremely terrible for ever suspecting her friend of such an inhumane crime, and of ever believing Aizen more than the friend she always had. She breathed heavily, and she felt like she had been drained of her vitality. She clutched her head, trying to erase the odious memory from her mind. Tears ran down her cheek; it was another one of those nights that she was reminded of her seemingly unwanted existence in this world. She cried, not knowing whether she still had the will to push through or not. But all those days she spent rotting in her little dank cell made her calm down, thinking of Hitsugaya. She had to be there, for those were trying times for the both of them. This time, it would not only be him that would be strong, but also she. She would be strong not only for herself but also for him. She quickly wiped her sweat and tears when she heard footsteps coming toward her cell. The shadow of the intruder alone told her that it was not Hitsugaya, nor was it Grimmjow, not even that last arrancar that brought her meal. It was someone else. A smiling face peeped out from the corner, with mild auburn eyes that shone brightly. His hair was red, and it was reminiscent of Kotetsu Isane's hair. As if gaining some sort of confidence, it went in her small territory. His apparel confirmed that he was an arrancar; a long white coat draped over a white shirt, white pants, black sash with a zanpakuto jutting out of it. There was a small accessory that was much like a necklace, save that it was made of the same material as that of a hollow's mask. He spoke in a soft, somewhat reassuring tone that was really odd for an arrancar, well, for the ones that she has already met. 

"… I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I was just walking around these parts when I heard you scream. Are you alright?"

She was reluctant in putting her trust in him, but decided that the small detail would not be a great deal. "...I'm fine, it was just a nightmare…"

"I see…" he replied as a sign of comprehension, and tried to reassure her with his smile. "Well, I guess everything's fine out here… by the way, I'm Rodrigo Damian. You're Hinamori Momo, right? I heard your name from Ulquiorra – " he stopped when he noticed that she was not able to comprehend what he was saying. "Uh… you know, that guy who brought your meal the last time… uh… green slit eyes, cyan lines that run just below his eyes…"

"Oh, yes, him. That arrancar…"

"I know he's kinda scary, but he's just like that. He's so cold to others, anyway." She saw him mutter something under his breath, but she did not hear what it was. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, nothing. I'd better be on my way now." He turned his back towards her, and looked at her one last time and reassured her once more with his soft smile. "See you."

He walked away, leaving her alone. He quickly proceeded to Aizen's throne room, where the self-declared mortal god was seated on his throne.

"The test subject has been mobilized, Aizen-sama. You will be able to see its effect after a few nights."

"Very good, Rodrigo. We will proceed with other data-gathering measures for the following nights." He gave the Hougyoku resting on his hand a quick glance before he turned his attention to the arrancar again. "I'm sure Hitsugaya wouldn't mind it, so don't worry about it too much."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."


	18. Beginning of a New Nightmare

This is my latest chapter. I've been busy the last few months, so I wasn't able to update. There was a lot of school work to deal with. I'm very sorry for the long wait. I hope you can bear with it.

XVIII. Beginning of a New Nightmare

_The wind blew softly on the grassy outskirts of Seiretei. The green blades danced to the soft humming tune of the cool breeze that passed by. The caressing wind blew all over the place, and the flora of the place seemed to dance with it well. Hinamori let the wind blow her unconfined hair to one side, and closed her eyes. It was the only moment she could ever relax. It was one quiet time of peace, one she had always wanted – even though it was only a dream. The breeze ran past her face, the warmth of her skin escaping along with it. It was some ideal setting for what most people thought of as a perfect peace – no turbulences inside and outside of one's mental composure – and it was all worth it. Everything seemed perfect. It was, as most people would say, the perfect circle of peace._

_But for her, something was still missing._

"_Taking a break, uh, Hinamori?"_

_And with that awfully familiar, young but uncompromised, simple yet comforting voice, her circle of peace has just been completed._

_She opened her eyes, turned around and gazed at him with her dark black-brown orbs. She smiled at him, as she always did, with her radiant aura of cheerfulness simply covering the relaxing atmosphere. His brows were furrowed, as usual. She knew him just that much, as the usual Hitsugaya Toushiro. _

"_It was just my luck that I've been given an errand that needs someone to go outside of Seiretei. It's not bad to take a break once in a while, right? And besides, everybody needs to take a break sometimes."_

"_Well, I wouldn't spend too much time relaxing if I were you…" replied the snow-haired captain, with his arms folded in a surly manner. "You know just how the others are watching our movements closely. I wouldn't want any issues coming out of these things."_

"_Well, let's just tell them that we dropped by our old house and met some old faces. That's good enough of an excuse, right, Shiro-chan?" She replied with her warm innocent smile._

_The tenth division captain scoffed at her idea, like he usually does. "Baka bed-wetter Momo. Whatever you do, don't ever get in trouble."_

_She pouted at his relatively disparaging remark. "Mou, that's mean of you, Shiro-chan!"_

"_Baka bed-wetter Momo. You really are a big bed-wetter."_

_She smiled, knowing that in those few moments, she was secure. Every time that he was there was an insurance of security from the harsh realities of life – even if it cost him greatly to do so._

_She closed her eyes in fervent reassurance. She let the cool breeze blow on her skin, the warmth escaping with the flight of the wind. She raised her hands slowly to shoulder level, enough for her arms to feel the passing of the breeze as well. Without opening her eyes, she raised her head, as if looking upward, to fully enjoy this brief period of time. She could hear the grass blades dancing to the soft hum all around her, and knowing that Hitsugaya was just there, she had nothing to fear. _

_But it was, after all, not a journey to peace. The nightmare has just begun._

_Soon, she felt the temperature of the of the wind change, slowly getting warmer and warmer, until it came to a point that it felt as if it was already scorching her. She opened her eyes, and saw the omen in the skies._

_The sky was burning. The vast blue sky turned to a bright shade of a reddish hue, and the white plum clouds were replaced by plumps of flames, congregations that seemed like clouds, yet they spewed forth blasts of fire that jumped from cloud to cloud. Everything seemed to be on fire. The air seemed to be bent, like what is usually seen in occurrences of extremely hot weather or over an open fire. The grassy field was reduced to smoldering ashes, and the few trees from a distance were up to flames. She quickly shifted her gaze to her companion, but was not prepared for what she was to witness._

"_Shiro-chan, the sky is burning! There's – "_

_Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Her pupils dilated, and she covered her mouth in order to hold herself back from wailing. Hitsugaya was right there, with numerous blades plunged into him, as if he was a pincushion to those enlarged needles. Blood trickled down his eyes, his mouth, and from his stab wounds, and his eyes were all white. He slowly walked towards her, with every step covering the soft earth with crimson liquid. Just as he was a few steps before her, the numerous blades removed themselves from him, as if they had a mind of their own, and sprayed his surroundings with his blood, covering everything in red, with a few splotches making their way to Hinamori. He finally fell to the ground, still bleeding heavily with the undignified state he was in. _

"_Hello there, Hinamori-kun."_

_That voice, which seemed to come from the heavens, was too familiar not to recognize. She looked up the skies, and saw the flames up there converge at one spot, finally contorting into an image – the face of one man that no one could definitely miss._

"_A-Aizen!"_

"_It is quite nice to be seeing you once again, Hinamori-kun. I'm sorry if I had to do that to your precious Hitsugaya. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him, seeing that he was a very good friend to you. After all, you've served me well as vice-captain and even beyond that. As a reward, I would have spared his life. However, his opposition to me was an act of grave treason against me as a god, as the ruler of the world. It would just not be right if I didn't punish him for his acts against me, would it? So, as my act of being the new god of this world, I had to punish him severely."_

_She took out her trusted zanpakutou, gripping it tightly like she did in her fazed skirmish with Hitsugaya. "Snap, Tobiume!"_

_A large ball of pink energy trailed of the edge of the blade, making its way towards the large portrait in the sky. However, this was soon turned into ashes, scorched by the smoldering flames just before it hit the image of Aizen's face in the sky. He smiled coldly, like the time before he left Soul Society. _

"_I would have left him just like that if you didn't do that, Hinamori. I will just have to punish you for your retaliation against me, your new god." He looked on the downed Hitsugaya before he continued. "Now, begone from my sight, foolish mortal."_

_Hinamori turned towards Hitsugaya and saw him clawing himself on different parts of his body, as if attempting to quell a burning sensation. His skin turned reddish, and he rolled over and over on the ground, as if he was dousing his body of a fire it caught. He was breathing deep breaths, and finally, giving up, looked at Hinamori with his light bluish-green orbs, before he was consumed in flames. She heard him scream in agony, as the flames consumed him even more, and he clutched his head in deep agony, rolling over in the deep fit of painful sensation, being burned alive. _

"_Burn, Hitsugaya Toushiro. Burn."_

_Hinamori could no longer hold herself back from all the things she is being put through. Her wail broke the silence of the burning field._

* * *

Hinamori woke up with a scream. Beads of sweat were on her forehead, her pupils were dilated, and she was breathing heavily. She clutched her head, trying to rid it of the horrifying images that were etched in her memories from her subconscious. The nightmare seemed too real that it inspired much terror in her. She saw a white butterfly flutter by and made its way outside through the small window-like opening leading outside her cell. Her hand was still shaking in fear when a familiar face peeped out from the corner of her cell's opening. The same red hair, white hakama, and innocent face came out. His auburn orbs looked at her with deep concern, and soon, his whole body came out of hiding, and entered her cell.

"Are you alright, Hinamori-kun? You look like you've seen a ghost."

After calming down, she spoke to him. "I'm alright. It was just a nightmare."

"I see. Well, you've got quite of a nightmare there up your sleeve." He sat beside her, and offered her a cup-like container with some hot steaming colored liquid in it. "It's tea. It'll help you calm down."

She sipped the warm liquid, emptying the container. She heaved a deep sigh after drinking it all, and restored her composure as if it was its relaxing effect. She gave the container back to him, and he smiled at her. She mustered to smile a little at him.

"Arigatou, uhm – Rodrigo-san?"

"Don't worry too much about those nightmares, Hinamori-kun. They'll all be gone soon enough." He brushed a bunch of stray hair on her face, and maintained his warm smile at her. He stood up and slowly made his way out of her cell. After reaching a considerable distance away from the opening of her cell, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing the snow-haired ex-captain, with his weight leaning against the wall, not bothering to turn toward the red-haired arrancar. His brows were furrowed deeply, in some sort of angry contortion. His light bluish-green orbs slowly turned to gaze at the arrancar. Rodrigo maintained his calm demeanor and spoke to Hitsugaya.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're Hitsugaya Toushiro, aren't you? By the way, I'm Rodrigo Damian. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand towards the boy, offering him a handshake. Hitsugaya moved from his spot, and walked towards the arrancar's direction, but just walked past him, not even acknowledging the offer of the former. He, however, stopped short just after he walked past the arrancar.

"What were you doing in Hinamori's cell?" his voice trailed quite indifferently, though Rodrigo felt some subliminal message lying underneath the boy's statements.

"I heard her scream, so I went there and I just found out she had a nightmare. I just gave her a cup of tea to calm her, and you could ask her yourself. Don't worry too much. She's alright now."

"Let me make myself clear to you, arrancar. If you make her shed even a drop of blood, I assure you that I will kill you without any hesitation. I don't trust the likes of you, but seeing our present situation I couldn't do much about it. But if you lay a finger on her, I'll rip your head off even if it's the last thing I do."

He continued to walk towards Hinamori's cell, leaving behind the intrigued figure of the arrancar still standing on his spot. With Hitsugaya out of the scene he bowed his head, hiding his eyes underneath the shadow of his hair, yet revealing a grin on his face.

* * *

The small familiar figure of the ex-captain made its way into Hinamori's dank cell. She was looking at the small window-like opening of her cell, into the eternally dark night of Hueco Mundo. She then turned her gaze at him, with her usual joyful mood up and going. She smiled at him as she usually did: warm and radiant.

"Shiro-chan…"

* * *

Please review. Thanks for reading this.


	19. Beginning of a New Nightmare, II

Guys, this is the next chapter to this fic. After this week, it's gonna be very hard for me to update, but I'm trying my best, so thanks for sticking with this. Anway, I hope you like this one.

* * *

XIX. Beginning of a New Nightmare, II

What is the difference between a boy and a man? That was one thing that recently had always been popping in the snow-haired boy's mind. Though by most terms, most of Soul Society – the tenth division, Abarai, Ikkaku, Kuchiki, and some other people who know him quite well – treated him much like a leader figure, being the captain that he was, and handling a burden of responsibilities that most would find quite irritating. However, when it came to Aizen and his ranks, he was treated much like a boy. _Although he was quite young to boot, there was no way in hell they'd treat him like a damn kid with the way he handled things, _he thought. After all, he was even more responsible than his fukutaichou, to begin with. _Damn arrancar army, treating me like a brat. _

* * *

He went inside Hinamori's cell after presumably sending shivers down Rodrigo Damian's spine with his wise warning, which, of course, the rest of Soul Society, those at least are weaker than him, heeded. With his brows still furrowed, he went towards the girl, and though at most he was quite pissed - to be theorizing with his mood, he had quite a calm demeanor than what he'd usually do to those who 'hurt' Hinamori.

And with that quite blazing mood, she smiled at him.

"Shiro-chan…"

And then his quite hell-bound anger died down. After all, as Matsumoto pointed out, all it took to calm him down was her. But well, he had to keep up with his usual façade so as not to appear, well, like it wasn't him.

"Had a visitor?"

"You mean Rodrigo-san? He came in when he heard me scream – well, he didn't really mean any harm. He was just curious, and at least he helped me calm down."

"Uh-uh…" he nodded, though his brows are still furrowed really deep. "Don't tell me you trust the likes of him after that bastard Grimmjow Jaggerjack tried to hit on you."

She just smiled at him. "Aahh… now you're putting everyone in that league, huh?"

He just scoffed at her last statement.

"It's not really that, Hinamori. It's just that after what happened, you could never really trust anyone that easily, right? Besides – "

"Yes, I know that, Shiro-chan. You should really lighten up once in a while, because you'll get wrinkles early" she pointed at his furrowed brows and giggled.

He sighed, and stretched his forehead so that Hinamori would stop pointing it out.

"That's better, Shiro-chan. Besides, you should also smile a bit too, you know. It wouldn't hurt to smile once in a while," she said, revealing her white teeth in her radiant smile.

And his lips just stretched a bit. Sure, that was one genuine moment when he really felt like smiling.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it, Shiro-chan?"

And then, something clicked into his mind. He stared at her eyes, those same black-brown orbs have grown quite dull, with a deep black region under them. It was evident, she was lacking sleep. And so his smile faded.

"I just remembered him telling me you had a nightmare, he heard you scream when you woke up. So you've been lacking sleep?"

She became quite fidgety for a while there. "N-not really. It's just now that I had a really bad dream. Don't worry about it…" she tried to assure him with those words. But her baggy eyes revealed more to him. He just sighed.

"You're not a good liar, Hinamori. Your baggy eyes are just a sign that you haven't been able to sleep well lately. It's time to go to bed for you. I'll be here, just in case anything happens. And don't wet the bed, baka bed-wetter Momo," he made his comeback at that last statement.

"You're so mean, Shiro-chan! As if I'm going to wet the bed like a kid!" she pouted.

"Well, you did wet the bed when we slept together as kids – "

"Shiro-chan!" she glared at him.

"Okay, okay. I get it now," his lips stretched just a bit. That was considerably a smile, in his case. He sat down beside her, and she looked at him in the eyes.

"Go to sleep, Hinamori. I'll be here, don't worry."

"I feel kind of hard to sleep, Hitsugaya-kun. Maybe I'll stay up for a while…"

"Well, what would make you go to sleep? Singing a song?" he was quite sarcastic at that last statement.

"Well, sometimes I lull myself to sleep by singing a song."

He stared at her with what she said. She really wasn't joking. And he never thought that thing would be such a nice suggestion.

"Well, I just feel kind of tired, though," she yawned, and rested her head on the ex-captain's lap. She slowly closed her eyes, and Hitsugaya thought she was already in slumber land. She proved him wrong when she started singing in a soft tune, almost whisper-like in volume.

"_And so she woke up from a dream  
that was beautiful and starry and oh so wild  
it was all still clear in her eyes  
and though her mind was foggy and blank  
she wondered why  
her life couldn't be as lovely it was time…"_

He looked down on the figure on her lap. He recognized that tune. With her head still on his lap, she spoke to him.

"Do you know that song, Shiro-chan?"

"Well, I guess I may have heard that somewhere before…"

"Kuchiki-san told me about this song that Kurosaki Ichigo supposedly made her hear when they were in the real world. He even gave her some sort of device that plays this song. She played it on that, uhmm, mp3 player thing, and made me listen to it. It was very nice."

Now he remembered. He also heard it when the substitute shinigami played it over those devices in his home. He was there in the boy's home, with the music playing along the background.

"Why don't you sing it for a change, Shiro-chan?"

"I'm not really fond of singing…"

"Come on, don't be such a bore."

He started humming the tune really quick, and it was out of pace. He rolled his eyes, making it evident that he was quite impatient. He finished humming the out-of-pace tune, and breathed heavily at that last note.

"There."

"Shiro-chan…" she pouted. She stared at him with her dull baggy eyes and spoke. "Will you sing it… for me?"

He gave a deep breath and looked through her dull black-brown orbs with his deep bluish green ones. "Alright..."

She closed her eyes as he placed his hand on her head, and brushed a stray strand of hair on her face. And with the same pace as Hinamori had before, and started singing with his own soft yet manly voice, at the same low whisper-like volume.

"_There was this king he had a castle or throne  
but his horse was great and white  
he rode alone and liked it that way  
but when he met her he swore  
he would never leave her side  
they rode across the land, two lovers hand in hand  
and no danger would come near  
and when something made her cry  
she'd look at him teary eyed  
and he would make her feel better  
so much better so much better than before._

_And now this forest was his home  
it was a night time and the right time for love in the dark  
she placed her hand upon his chest  
and all the rest just flowed  
makin' love down under an ancient far away night  
it was so grand just holding someone's hand  
and now safety came naturally  
it was so clear that she would never have to fear…"_

He continued humming the soft tone until he noticed that she was already breathing slowly, peacefully, in her own place of dreams. He stroked her hair, looking at her sleeping figure tenderly. He did so until his eyes slowly closed, and he also went to his own slumber land.

* * *

"Sleep, my little princess, sleep… Everything shall be accomplished in their due time."

Rodrigo grinned, his eyes hidden in the darkness. He snapped his fingers, and a breeze blew past him.

* * *

He opened his eyes when he felt her tense up a little bit. She was still sleeping on his lap, his hand still on her head. She was perspiring heavily, and her face looked contorted in pain and horror. She was hanging on to his white hakama tightly, as if struggling with something.

* * *

_Aizen's face was etched in the burning sky. He was staring down at Hinamori, with his cold, blank eyes painted in a large palette of flames. His cold, sarcastic smile sent shivers down her spine. It was just like when he left Soul Society – and she knew something bad was bound to happen._

"_You're special to me, Hinamori-kun. As a token of gratitude for everything you've done, I shall spare no one of my godly wrath save for you. Everyone – Soul Society, the human world, your friends, and Hitsugaya Toushiro – all except you, Hinamori-kun."_

_The wide burning field disappeared before her, and it was changed into a terrain of spiked earth, sharp as a zanpakutou's tip, and there everybody was impaled – Matsumoto, Rukia, Renji, Izuru, everybody – with Hitsugaya tied to a pole sticking out at the middle, with numerous blades stabbed at him. She knew there was nothing – virtually nothing – she could do. Tears were already running down her cheeks._

* * *

Tears were already running down Hinamori's cheeks. He was still stroking her hair, with his other hand nudging her, trying to wake her up from the really bad nightmare she was having, but to no avail. His hand that was just stroking her hair a moment ago moved to her face, and wiped away the tears in her eyes. He was already concerned. He sensed it was no ordinary nightmare. Just as she was already breaking down into deep sobs, an idea hit him. He continued the soft tune just a while ago, his mellow voice a whisper in the wind.

"_Oh tell me a story of magic and spiraling ships  
and the stars in the night  
just whisper in my ears, make it soft make, it clear  
I want to hear every breath you say  
she placed her hand upon her breast  
but she woke up from the land, tears falling in her hands  
as she looked up asking why  
she laid back in her bed, thoughts rising in her head  
"why can't my life be beautiful," she said  
as she closed her eyes again  
just prayin' he'd return  
but only darkness fell upon her…"_

He continued humming its tune, out of hope that it would comfort her in this nightmare he can't wake her up from, and held her hand with one of his hands and stroked her hair with the other.

* * *

_She was already on her knees, crying. Everything, everyone, was gone._

"_There shall be no one else but you, Hinamori. You are now the only remnant of the once-thriving Soul Society," Aizen's voice struck her to her bones._

_But then, maybe out of desperation, or just sheer imagination, she heard something. At first it was just a humming tune, and if there had been words, she couldn't understand them. It grew louder, and then it became audible._

"_Oh tell me a story of magic and spiraling ships  
and the stars in the night  
just whisper in my ears, make it soft make, it clear  
I want to hear every breath you say  
she placed her hand upon her breast  
but she woke up from the land, tears falling in her hands  
as she looked up asking why  
she laid back in her bed, thoughts rising in her head  
"why can't my life be beautiful," she said  
as she closed her eyes again  
just prayin' he'd return  
but only darkness fell upon her…"_

_And the tune continued to hum its way to her. She recognized that voice. It was too familiar to miss. With those teary eyes, she looked around, quite puzzled._

"…_S-Shiro-chan?"_

_Soon, the terrain of countless bodies crumbled into blobs of water, sparkling with the light of the surroundings, and it returned to the fiery field it was before. She grew confused, as the tune continued to ring in her ears. She was still kneeling when she felt two hands come from behind her and embrace her. With that, she could not turn around and see who it was, but she was reassured when she heard that it was the same voice humming the tune._

"_Don't worry, Hinamori. I'm here to protect you…"_

_She felt a cool blast of wind coming from behind her, and soon the flames in the sky died out and the original sky was restored, even erasing Aizen's face. The fiery field disappeared, restoring the calm, grassy terrain and the cool breeze. She smiled, and closed her eyes in peace and security. Those arms were still locked in their embrace around her neck._

"_Shiro-chan… Arigatou."_

* * *

Apparently, it worked. Hitsugaya's soft cooing melody combined with his hair-stroking and hand-holding proved to be quite just fine. Her sobs died down, and she went back to her peaceful, rhythmic breathing. He gave out a deep sigh, with the notion of everything to be just alright. He wiped the remaining teardrop in her eye, and continued his soft comforting method. He was quite glad that it was done with.

If he was to rate things, for instance, in a scale of one to ten, saving a child from a hollow attack would be an eight, accomplishing a hard mission would be a seven, and finishing all the paperwork that his lazy fukutaichou left for him to finish would also fall under an eight. He was pondering on these things that he would have quite not minded if it meant going back to Soul Society with her.

And then, in her sleep, she smiled.

He made a mental note to himself. That moment was _definitely_ a ten.

* * *

The howling wind died down. Rodrigo still stood there, his eyes still hidden in the darkness. His lips recollected to a neutral look, no emotional play whatsoever evident.

"Your connection with reality is by far greater than expected. It's always quite troublesome to have a knight save the damsel in distress."

He flipped out his long white coat and continued walking down the long, dark aisle of Las Noches. A small smile crossed his face.

Kudos to anyone who could guess what song I used in this one. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review. Thanks again.


	20. Through the Beast Inside

Guys, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I've been really busy with a lot of activities.

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XX. Through the Beast Inside

Gin entered Aizen's throne room with his usual sly, enigmatic smile. None could read whatever was behind that mysterious upside-down frown and his slit eyes. He walked straight from the door up to Aizen, sitting comfortably on his throne. As usual, he was pondering on his next move, and that would usually be something against Soul Society, or probably silencing those filthy, wretched arrancar and hollows that do not approve of his leadership of Hueco Mundo and probably the rest of the world in the future. Still, he'd have some bright idea that would pop out of nowhere just for him to conduct a few more interestingly frightening experiments, which would usually involve the Hougyoku's power. But right now, Gin didn't even bother to theorize on whatever Aizen was pondering on. All that mattered to him was that he knew that whatever Aizen had in mind, it was definitely superb.

"Gin," Aizen finally started. "When was the last time that I sent Hitsugaya-kun on a reconnaissance and research mission?"

Gin raised his head and his slit eyes angled upward, as if thinking.

"Hmmm… as far as I can remember, t'was about two or three weeks ago. These last weeks he'd spent his time in the training room and then in Szayel Aporro's lab."

"Ah… that reminds me, were his records compiled already?"

"Yep… so what's that gotta do with yer next plan, Aizen-sama?"

"I was thinking if it was about time that I get my hands on some information that Soul Society may be keeping from me… at least if there still are."

"Awww… so yer gonna send 'em in for a kill or two?"

"Why don't we let that be up to him for some excitement? By now, all of you must be bored with all of the things that we're having around."

Gin smile grew wider. He knew Aizen was really up to something good.

* * *

Hitsugaya was getting more worried every passing day. Ever since that day he comforted Hinamori in her sleep her nightmares have gone from bad to worse. These horrible dreams kept on popping in that head of hers and what's worse is that he could no longer comfort her enough to stop those nightmares from ever occurring. He was sitting on the far corner of his room when the seemingly-melancholic arrancar came in.

"Aizen-sama wants to speak to you. He has something urgent to tell you, and requests your presence in his throne room immediately."

Hitsugaya's brows furrowed. _What could Aizen want this time?_

He quickly proceeded to his current master, as far as he could tell. He entered the throne room and found Aizen sitting idly on that damned chair, seeming somewhat amused. Careful not to literally piss him off, Hitsugaya walked in front of Aizen and kneeled down before him, at least for Hinamori's sake. Aizen looked down on him, and without moving from his position, he spoke.

"Hitsugaya-kun, I need you to go on an errand for me. It's not a big deal, at least for you, though. I just need you to infiltrate Soul Society and bring me somebody that could do me some good."

"Who exactly is it that you would want me to kidnap?"

Aizen smiled coldly at him. "Just like that: I like a man that has a head on his shoulders. Well, since it is risky to capture a shinigami taichou, it's better to capture a fukutaichou instead. Don't worry, I won't be ordering you to get Matsumoto-fukutaichou. You'll just have to sneak past into the fourth division quarters and capture Kotetsu Isane. It'll be a good way of bolstering your abilities in hiding your reiatsu as well as you infiltration skills, don't you think so?"

_Sneak inside Soul Society? This man might be quite insane,_ Hitsugaya thought. _But then again, he must have something in his mind._

"Of course I don't expect you to be able to sneak into Soul Society all by yourself. They should have intensified their security measures since your last visit there, so I reckon you won't be able to sneak in undetected all by yourself. Ulquiorra will go there with you and provide some distraction while you sneak in. Of course, by 'distraction' I do not necessarily mean fighting off your friends, it's just that he'll be there to provide a temporary overlapping source of reiatsu that would distract Soul Society's guards. While he does that, you hide your reiatsu and sneak past them through the alleyways. She'll usually be left back in the fourth's quarters, and you should make your way there through stealth. In case she isn't there, make your way around Soul Society and look for her. It may be helpful to capture a member of the fourth division and have him tell you where she is or maybe lead you around the sewers. Of course, none must know that you went in there, so you'll have to eliminate him."

_He's sick. He's definitely sick! How could he expect me to do such a thing?!_

"Of course, I know of your refusal to eliminate these little critters for such a small effort. But then, if I hear word that Soul Society knows of this little errand of yours, then your precious Hinamori-kun's days are over. That goes for you, too. Oh, by the way, I wouldn't want you to take too long. I've had Szayel Aporro to make you a time device, and I've indicated there when I want you to return. Go past that limit, and she dies. Now that you have my instructions clearly, it is time for you to go pay Soul Society a visit."

_Damn you, bastard! How could you have me do such a thing?!_ Those things ran through Hitsugaya's thoughts as he listened closely to Aizen's instructions. His teeth gritted and he clenched his fists. All the while he felt like beheading the arrancar leader right then, but he had Hinamori's safety on his shoulders. Standing up slowly, he made his way out of Aizen's throne room, pondering on how he would be able to accomplish the task without hurting anyone… hopefully.

As Hitsugaya left the room, Aizen smiled just as he always had. Gin looked at him with a cunning expression on his face.

"Don'tcha think that was quite harsh on the li'l boy, Aizen-sama? He'd probably hav'ta kill somebody to do that. But, knowin' ya, it wasn't such a bad idea after all."

"It is a test of how he would be able to handle things, Gin. Besides, this is a good way of knowing whether or not he'll be an ideal, obedient lapdog."

"Well, ya can't win 'em all, I s'pose.

* * *

Hinamori just woke up again from another horrible nightmare. Those past few days she had been experiencing these terrifying dreams that occurred every time she slept. She knew Hitsugaya was there to comfort her those times, yet even if he stayed there nothing changed. There were even times when she lost sleep due to these things. She wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead and placed her hand on her chest. She was breathing heavily, as if she ran a hundred-mile marathon. After resting a bit, she stood up and moved closer to the small window-like opening of her cell, and looked at what the other side of those walls may look like. She thought of home, of freedom from her current state. Then again, she thought of how Hitsugaya was handling all of the things that have been happening to them. She knew that her current state was becoming some kind of a burden on his part, and as much as she wanted to, she wanted to do away with it as well. She was pondering on these thoughts that she didn't notice the presence of another figure in her room.

"It's such a bother to have me come 'ere and give ya yer grub, ya know. I may not look like it but I have other matters to attend to."

She quickly turned to see whom it was that came in her cell. It was a rather tall arrancar, with a hood-like collar that is flipped up on his jacket. He had an eyepatch and had a huge smile on his face that revealed his upper teeth. It was quite well that she wasn't that afraid of other arrancar and hollows as much as her fear of Grimmjow is.

"That damn Ulquiorra's out on a mission, and probably he'd be out for a few days for a series of these errands. Anyway, I'm gonna be bringin' yer food for the next few days, at least while he's out. It's kinda inconvenient that I'm the one asked and not the others. Oh well, why bother, dammit. Just make it quick."

She commenced eating her meal. It was her only way of regaining her strength for her horrible sleeping experience that was about to come. Nnoitra stood there, waiting for her to finish. Thoughts ran into his head as he waited there.

_As far as I can remember, she's been an eye-catcher to Grimmjow. Hmmm… Aizen-sama even helped him out when he was about to be turned into mincemeat by that shinigami brat. I just can't understand him._

He watched as she ate her meal. Images of her crying and screaming for help came into his head, and then he smiled.

_Now I get it why Grimmjow even bothered with this li'l bitch in the first place. It'd be really tempting to see her cry and have that expression on her face._

Hinamori stood up and gave him back her appointments. He placed them on the cart behind him. She turned around and was about to go back to her bed when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and smiled slyly.

"At first I couldn't get why the hell Grimmjow wanted to hit on ya, but now I can tell why. It's a priceless experience to see someone with a naïve face such as yours scream and cry for help while ya wince in pain with having a big one slide up inside ya."

That time she had run out of lucky. Or worse than that, she was damned.

He grabbed her by the neck with his large hand, pinning her on the wall with such small effort. His other hand pinned her hand so that she wouldn't be able to fight back. He looked down on her, with her shihakusho somewhat loose due to being unable to keep it in top shape. Her torn lower shihakusho revealed her white, creamy legs and her loose clothing made him peer on her chest, now slightly revealed. She tried to struggle for his brute strength, but her efforts were in vain. She screamed and shouted, expending her energy to break away from him.

"NO!! Let go of me!!" Tears were already falling down her eyes.

"That's right!! That's what I want from ya, bitch!! Scream and yelp like a mad dog!!"

He pushed her down, and the force caused her to be thrown down the ground, down on all fours. He had done away with the lower part of her shihakusho, and his hand went in her clothing as he groped her.

"NO!! STOP!!"

"Alright, time to break yer innocence, bitch!"

Just outside, Rodrigo Damian was listening to the events that were happening inside Hinamori's cell. All he could here now were her screams, shouting "Stop it, please, it hurts so much!" and "Stop it, I beg of you! No more!" He smiled as thoughts ran into his head.

_I didn't know that Nnoitra was such a fast, diligent worker. Maybe this little scandal of his would help decrease her attachment to this world and drown her in a sea of sorrow, just as I need. I guess I better beat the road and leave things to him now._

He quietly went away as Hinamori's screams pierced the air.

* * *

Hinamori lay down the hard ground, with tears running down her cheeks, and her energy drained from her body. She tried to stand up, with her body shaking in her attempt.

Nnoitra was buckling up his pants as he looked down on her. He wore a huge smile on his face, as if he achieved a new level of satisfaction. He threw a small piece of cloth at her, as if motioning her to something.

"Use that towel to wipe yerself dry. I don't wantcha makin' a mess of this place, and havin' someone complain about the damn stench. And don't even think of tellin' that damn brat of these things, 'cause I don't want any hassles. Sure, you could tell him, but at least that'll make you look like a dirty little whore to him by then."

He made his way out of her cell, leaving her alone. She wept as she wiped off the blood trickling down her legs from a hidden portion in her shihakusho with the small cloth she was given. Her whole body was in pain. Her mind was torn. Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe it was just another nightmare. At least she wished it was. It was just as horrible – no, it was a lot more horrible – than what she experienced the past days. It was the pain that lingered and the smell of blood from her legs that was etched in her mind.

"This is just a nightmare, isn't it? Wake up, Momo! Wake up! This… all of this isn't real… that's right, you're back in Soul Society with Hitsugaya-kun and the others… you're there with Shiro-chan, and – "

She sat down as the pain from her region shot at her. It reminded her of the painful reality. The voice of Nnoitra rang in her head.

"…at _least that'll make you look like a dirty little whore to him by then."_

Her sobs were the only things that could be heard from her cell.

And it was that which changed her life forever.

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Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Hope you like it. Please review.


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